NMC Bill: Is medical education a commodity?
This is the crux of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill which is what the society has not grasped in the hoopla created by the government regarding the bogey of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in opposing it. The only question is whether medical education is a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder. Will it be traded on stock exchange in future?
POLITICIANS’ STAKES IN MEDICAL COLLEGES
Gradually over the years, private medical education has seen unprecedented investment.
Many political bigwigs have substantial overt or covert stakes in these medical colleges. Successive governments deliberately or otherwise have not invested in new government medical colleges and have in fact starved them of funds leading to a gradual decline in their infrastructure and faculty.
But having created a private medical college at the cost of hundreds of crores, you require your investment to give returns.to ensure a steady supply of gullible students and parents who believe that an MBBS degree would set their child for a stable career, these colleges first opposed the National Eligibility-cum-entrance Test (NEET) to the hilt.
A common entrance exam was a roadblock of gargantuan proportions in their path. Those who scored well did not have money to pay and those who had the money could not qualify.
Having failed in blocking NEET, this lobby subverted the exam and got minimum pass marks modified to the 50th percentile instead of 50% marks.
Simultaneously, we saw a sudden surge in MBBS aspirants from about 5 lakh at its lowest to 12 lakh today. This surge was artificially created so that the 50th percentile now came up with 17% marks in NEET.
If examined carefully, many of these aspirants may have not written anything in the exam to bring down the 50th percentile. The Medicos Legal Action Group (MLAG) is in process to find out this number and an inquiry may throw up surprising facts.
CONTROL OVER MEDICAL EDUCATION BUSINESS
The NMC Bill is the other pearl in this thread. The MCI for all its faults was keeping a reasonable check on private medical colleges.
This was unacceptable to those who had invested in these. Discrediting the MCI, which was corrupted in first place by these same very medical colleges and then asking for scrapping the MCI, was a calculated move to gain direct control over the business of medical education.
Now under the NMC Bill, if an investor wishes to start a private medical college, he needs to give an “assurance” that he will fulfil the required criterion and standards. Later, if he wishes to increase seats, he does not need to be inspected. The goalpost has been shifted. The quality will now be assessed at the finishing line.
The exit exam will decide whether a medical college is up to standard or not. What happens to those who studied in this substandard college for over four years spending up to a crore and after completing the course, they are now told that their college was not up to the mark.
INTENTIONS ON BRIDGE COURSE NOT CLEAR
The Parliament, comprising 80 members who have substantial stakes in private medical colleges, will decide whether or not private medical colleges can charge any amount of fee they want.
It is going to decide that no inspections are needed to confirm that appropriate facilities exist in these medical colleges. They have shifted the proposal to allow bridge course to states but the intention is clear.
If bridge course is allowed, the seats in ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy (AYUSH) stream in these medical colleges, which are currently going a-begging, will be filled in a jiffy and will go the highest bidder because then you do not need to undergo the grind of actually doing the MBBS.
Just do a six-month bridge course from the IGNOU and have all privileges of an MBBS, without giving any exit exam. Is this not conflict of interest?
If medical education is made a commodity, the medical services will also become a commodity to be traded.
The profession, society, judiciary, intelligentsia and common man all need to fight against the NMC Bill to keep medical profession out of reach of those with ulterior motives.
MEDICAL SERVICES WILL BE TRADED IF MEDICAL EDUCATION IS MADE A COMMODITY