Why in News?

• The Union Health Ministry on Monday finalised the names of 19 part-time members of the National Medical Commission (NMC) through a draw of lots in the presence of ministers, senior officials and the media.

About National Medical Commission Act,2019:

• The National Medical Commission act seeks to improve the medical education system in the country by ensuring availability of adequate and high-quality medical professionals, periodic assessment of medical institutions, adoption of the latest medical research by medical professionals and an effective grievance redressal mechanism.
• The National Medical Commission Act, 2019 received assent of the President on August 8 and was published in the official Gazette on the same day.

Key provisions of the Act:

• The act proposes to set up a medical commission, both at the national and state level.
• It also has a provision for setting up a Medical Advisory Council by the Centre. The council will act as a channel through which the states/Union Territories can convey their views and concerns to the NMC.
• It also talks of conducting a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to under-graduate medical education in all medical institutions.
• The act proposes to hold the National Exit Test for the students graduating from medical institutions to obtain the licence for the practice.
• The test will also allow students to take admission into post-graduate courses at medical institutions under this legislation.
• The Bill says that the NMC will have the authority to grant a limited licence to certain mid-level practitioners connected with the modern medical profession to practice medicine.

About National Medical Commission:

• The NMC will replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) as the apex regulatory authority of medical education in the country. Four boards – dealing with undergraduate, postgraduate medical education, medical assessment and rating board and the ethics and medical registration board – will regulate the sector.
• The NMC is a 33-Member Body with a chairperson, ten ex officio members, and twenty-two part-time members.
• These members will be appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a committee.
• The chairperson has to be a medical professional of outstanding ability, proven administrative capacity and integrity, possessing a postgraduate degree in any discipline of medical sciences from any University and having experience of not less than twenty years in the field of medical sciences, out of which at least ten years shall be as a leader in the area of medical education.
• The ex officio members will include the presidents of the undergraduate and postgraduate medical education boards, the director general of Indian Council of Medical Research, and a director of one of the AIIMS, among others.
• Part-time members, on the other hand, will include experts from the field of management, law, medical ethics, etc. and nominees of states and union territories.