NEW DELHI: The government has accepted a recommendation of the parliamentary standing committee on the National Medical Commission Bill and has decided not to make bridge course, which allows AYUSH doctors to practice modern medicine through a short-term course, mandatory, sources said.
“We are moving the amended Bill to the Cabinet soon.
The contentious issues of the Bill are being addressed in the amended version,” said a source in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.Doctor bodies have objected to introduction of the bridge course, a licentiate examination for MBBS students before they are registered to practice and low representation of elected doctors, in the Bill.
The parliamentary panel has suggested that decision on introducing bridge course should be left to states and instead of a separate exit exam, MBBS final year exam, which can be conducted by state governments, can double as licentiate examination.Instead of 25 members—there should be 29 members in the commission and the increased number of members should be that of elected doctors from the states.
Indian Medical Association rejected the panel’s recommendations. “The decision to let states decide if they want to allow AYUSH doctors to train in modern medicine does not make it any better as many states will legalise quackery,” said IMA honorary general secretary RN Tandon.