MCI, dental, pharmacy & nursing councils to be scrapped, single body for med edu now

Seethalakshmi S | TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: In a complete overhaul aimed at cleansing the medical education system in the country, a task force of the Union health ministry has decided to scrap all regulatory bodies, including the Medical Council of India, Dental Council of India, Pharmacy Council and the Nursing Council, according to sources. There will instead be a single regulatory body—the National Council for Human Resources in Health—which willoversee seven departments related to medicine, nursing, dentistry, rehabilitation and physiotherapy, pharmacy, public health/hospital management and allied health sciences, sources involved in the revamp process said on Thursday.

The move now needs a formal government notification. This council will not only perform the regulatory functions but perform functions of assessment and accreditation of medical and health institutions across the country. Simply put, the council will coordinate the entire gamut of medical and health education in India. This will include drafting courses and the period of study, including practical training, subjects of examination and standards of proficiency, conditions for admissions to courses, provide guidelines on curriculum planning, monitoring and overseeing implementation of UG/PG courses with flexibility for local specific modules.

‘Innovation needed for health edu’
Bangalore: The National Council for Human Resources in Health, which is set to replace all regulatory bodies, will coordinate medical and health education in India. “Medical education today is dictated by bank balance and caste. The existing councils have failed to provide a synergistic approach. There is an urgent need for innovation in health education. It is unfortunate that medical seats are auctioned in front of students today. This is the best surgical solution for cleansing the system,’’ a source told TOI.

The report which was discussed with the PM on August 26 by the task force states: “Professional councils such as the MCI/Nursing and Pharmacy Councils have been set up to regulate the practice of their respective professions, including education. However, many of these councils have drawn criticism from all sections of society and also attracted judicial censure on several occasions.’’ The council will be constituted as an autonomous body independent of government controls with adequate power, including quasi-judicial.

Private medical colleges also place a heavy burden of fees on students and their admission procedures are not transparent. The curricula of medical schools, both public and private, are not designed for producing ‘social physicians’, the report said. Sources said the Centre will now take this move to all the states before implementing it. On its part, the Union health ministry has already readied a draft bill titled The National Council for Human Resources in Health Draft Bill, 2009.