Hunger strike at Tanda Medical College: MBBS Medicos protest against NMC Bill

Kangra: Showing solidarity to doctors across the country; who are currently protesting against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, MBBS interns and students attached to Dr Rajinder Prasad Government Medical College Tanda, Tanda Medical College recently staged a massive protest.

The bill, which seeks to replace the graft-tainted Medical Council of India (MCI), is slated to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow.

According to a recent report by the UNI, hundreds of medicos from the institute held a twelve-hour long hunger strike and took out a protest rally in the medical college campus against National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill.

The MBBS interns and students boycotted the OPD and resorted to a 12-hour-long hunger strike besides taking out a peaceful silent protest march within the medical college campus carrying placards and raising slogans against NMC outside Principal's office and OPD building.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday even as thousands of doctors protested against it across the country. It provides for the setting up of a National Medical Commission in place of the MCI for the development and regulation of all aspects of medical education, profession and institutions.

Read Also: NEXT to become Reality: National Medical Commission Bill gets Lok Sabha Nod

The medical fraternity is anguished that the Union Health Minister, a medical practitioner himself, instead of including key recommendations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee, replaced many provisions in the bill with clauses "detrimental" to doctors. The fraternity claims that the bill will encourage quackery.

The largest body of doctors and medical students in the country with around three lakh members, the IMA had also called for demonstrations and hunger strikes at its local branches and had urged students to boycott classes. It has warned in a statement that it will intensify the agitation if the government continues to be "indifferent to our concerns".

Doctors are demanding certain amendments in the bill. According to them, if not amended, the bill will lead to the deterioration of medical education and the degradation of healthcare services in the country.

Besides other clauses, they are objecting to section 45 of the bill, which, they claim, empowers the Union government to override any suggestion of the National Medical Commission.

The IMA is also opposing other provisions in the bill, including the decision to introduce the NEXT by scrapping the NEET-PG and regulation of fees by the NMC for 50 per cent seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities.

The bill proposes a common final-year MBBS examination, to be known as the National Exit Test (NEXT), for admission to post-graduate medical courses and for obtaining a licence to practise medicine. It would also act as a screening test for foreign medical graduates, official sources said.

Besides, the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), the common counselling and the NEXT will be applicable to institutes of national importance like the AIIMS to achieve a common standard in medical education across the country.

Read Also: Doctors, Medicos at AIIMS, RML, PGI Chandigarh to join protest against NMC Bill

Medical Dialogues had recently reported that to provide free movement to 125 fresh MBBS students for their first week in the institute as per the directions of the Supreme Court, senior MBBS students of Tanda Medical College were directed to vacate the medical college campus and hostels.

This decision was taken by the medical college authorities to prevent ragging incidents. The senior medicos were also directed to remain away for a few days from July 31st to August 7 2019.

Read Also: Tanda Medical College: Senior MBBS students told to vacate hostels to prevent ragging of freshers