Say unscientific mixing of medical systems is anti-people

The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill tabled in the Lok Sabha is anti-people and anti-patient, said Roy Abraham Kallivayalil, secretary general of the World Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Kallivayalil, also a former vice president of the Indian Medical Association, said the Bill would be disastrous for the country’s public health sector. The Bill was anti-people as it promoted unscientific mixing of medical systems. It was pro-rich and pro-private management and would increase the cost of medical education manifold, he alleged.

Costly medical education

“The Bill paves the way for corruption as it removes all regulations for setting up a medical college. As per its provisions, the government can regulate the fee structure of only up to 40% of the seats at a private medical college. The management will fix the fee structure for the remaining 60%. This will definitely make medical education in India highly expensive,” he said.

Dr. Kallivayalil said the Bill provided separate registration and bridge courses for AYUSH practitioners, enabling them to practise modern medicine. Unscientific mixing of different systems of medicine would only endanger patients’ lives, he said.

Section 15 of the Bill provided for a mandatory licentiate examination for MBBS graduates. Without passing the licentiate examination they would not be enrolled in the National Register and would not be able to practise or pursue higher education.

However, the AYUSH graduates would be registered after a crash programme, without appearing for the licentiate examination. This system would restrict MBBS students from practising while allowing ‘half-baked’ AYUSH doctors to practise after completing a ‘bridge course’.

‘Mixopathy’

A. Marthandan Pillai, former IMA president, said the first health policy document drafted by Bhore in 1943 had established the three-tier system of health delivery, making MBBS the minimum qualification to practise modern medicine. “Subsequently all short-term courses in modern medicine were abolished.”

The NMC Bill was a retrograde step highly detrimental to public health. “If AYUSH is to be promoted, AYUSH doctors should practise their own system and not ‘mixopathy,’” said Dr. Pillai.