Hyderabad: The nationwide movement against NMC Act today

Nampally: The National Action Forum (NAF) against NMC (National Medical Commission) on Wednesday decided to build up nationwide movement against the NMC Act – 2019 and decided to observe nationwide 'Scrap NMC Day' on Thursday.

Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, Dr. Sattar Khan, president of Forum, held that if NMC was implemented in its full scale, standard of medical education would be collapsed totally. It would be a lucrative profit making commodity for corporate business houses. "As we represent medical profession, it is our responsibility to save medical education by resisting NMC. Hence, we have decided to build up nationwide united movement demanding scrapping of it," he said.

Dr Shaffiq, Forum's member, recalled that while completely ignoring the countrywide protest by the medical fraternity, NMC Bill 2019 was passed with brute majority in both the Houses of Parliament and enacted as the NMC Act 2019 in the most undemocratic and autocratic manner. In this process, Medical Council of India (MCI), an autonomous regulatory apex body, is now made defunct. In its place NMC is being formed to take charge of medical education.

Alleging that NMC was the last nail in the coffin of medical education and health through bureaucratic centralisation, P Teja, another member of Forum, pointed out that most of the members of NMC were nominated by the Central Government. Search committee which constitutes NMC and Medical Advisory Council was also nominated. Central Government may supersede NMC by an order for up to six months. "The government is running away from its responsibility to provide qualified doctors for rural people, reducing them to 'second class citizens'. Thus, government is practically legalising and promoting quackery and creating space for corporate health to prey upon the rural market," alleged, Teja.