The Cabinet on Friday approved a bill to replace the Medical Council of India with an agency that the government said will do away with “heavy handed regulatory control” over medical facilities. The National Medical Commission Bill aims to make it easier for colleges to manage undergraduate and postgraduate courses, among other goals, according to The Hindu.
“The MCI will be replaced, and a National Medical Commission bill will be brought in,” said Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, according to IANS. “This is to correct the whole medical ecosystem.”
According to the bill, the National Medical Commission will be a 25-member body headed by a government-nominated chairperson and members, who will be selected by a committee under the Cabinet Secretary.
The legislation aims to reform the medical education sector, which has been under the lens for corruption and unethical practices, PTI quoted an unidentified official as saying.
The Cabinet approved the bill on the first day of the Winter Session.
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