Doctors and medical students under the Indian Medical Association (IMA) held a protest march from All India Institute of Medical Sciences to Nirman Bhawan on Monday against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019, calling it anti-poor and anti-student in its current version.
“The NMC is the worst Bill ever introduced in the medical education system and unfortunately a Health Minister, who is also a doctor, is adamant in destroying his own education system. We will not accept this atrocity at any cost. The proposed Bill is anti-people, anti-poor, anti-students, anti-democratic and draconian in nature,” stated a release by the group.
IMA national president Santanu Sen noted that medical students being the part of this pious education system have also joined hands to protect our education system and uproot the Bill.
The protestors were detained from near Nirman Bhawan and later let off.
IMA is also opposing other provisions in the Bill, including regulation of fees by the NMC for 50%seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities.
“Now, 100% of the private medical seats will be deregulated regarding the fee subject to non-binding guidelines. Medical education in the country will become expensive placing the lower socio-economic groups in great disadvantage,” said R.V. Asokan, IMA secretary general.
