All You Need to Know About National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019

The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019 has been passed by Rajya Sabha. Doctors from all over the country are protesting against it.  The resentment of the doctors is that the NMC Bill proposes to replace the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 and replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with National Medical Commission.

National Medical Commission (NMC) to regulate medical education and practices such as approving and assessing medical colleges, conducting common MBBS entrance and exit examinations and regulating medical course fees across the country. 

While the Medical Council of India (MCI) was an autonomous body. Two-thirds of its members (160 plus) being directly elected by the medical fraternity, the new one would have 25 members with no directly elected member. The Medical Council of India (MCI) was dissolved in 2010 due to corrupt practices.

With the passing of this bill in the Rajya Sabha, the path to the establishment of the new law has been cleared and now the National Medical Commission will be formed in the next three years.

Let's know what new provisions have been added to the National Medical Commission Bill

- According to the new provision, Under-Graduate Medical Education Board to set standards and regulate medical education at the undergraduate level.

- The bill proposes that Post-Graduate Medical Education Board to set standards and regulate medical education at postgraduate level.

- The bill also includes a provision for Medical Assessment and Rating Board for inspections and rating of medical institutions 

- As per the new bill, Ethics and Medical Registration Board to regulate and promote professional conduct and medical ethics and

- Maintain national registers of (a) licensed medical practitioners and (b) Community Health Providers (CHPs).

- Bill has introduced a new entrance exam called the National Exit Test (NEXT) for the students of MBBS. According to the new provision, doctors must pass a test to start practice after completing studies. 

- There is also a provision in this bill that Ayurveda and Homeopathy Doctor can do the allopathic treatment by doing a bridge course.

- Under the 32nd provision of the National Medical Bill, community health providers will be given a license to write medicines and treat patients. 

Why MCI dissolved?

- In 2017, the central government started preparing for the formation of NMC by dissolving MCI. 

- In 2017, the Supreme Court set up a monitoring committee to monitor the activities of MCI. 

- The Monitoring Committee had then told the Ministry of Health that MCI was in violation of the orders of the Supreme Court.

After this, the central government dissolved the MCI's managing committee by bringing an ordinance. Since then, the Medical Council of India has been functioning through the Board of Governance.

Reasons Behind Formation of NMC

- The central government says that National Medical Commission will help in reducing the shortage of doctors in the country and help in delivering health services to far-flung areas.

- Primary health workers will get a license to practice by doing a six-month medical course so that they can get treatment and medicines. People living in rural areas will get the most benefit from this.

- Only the AYUSH doctors having a license for practice will get the right of Allopathy Practice through the Bridge Course.

- It has also been made clear in the bill that doctors who do not have a licensed for medical practice will be fined up to one year jail and a fine of five lakh rupees.


Proposal to create a National Medical Commission (NMC) is to improve the entire system of the medical sector. Till now MCI was conducting the functions like admission, medical education, registration of doctors. After the formation of the commission, all these works will go to the NMC.

After the formation of the National Medical Commission, its Chairman will be appointed by the Central Government, who will be appointed for four years. A person ones appointed will not get reappointment. Whereas in MCI, the doctor was the chairman and he can be elected to this post many times.

Before independence, there was a similar system in our country. The number of Licensed doctors was more than MBBS doctors. To obtain a License, doctors required three and a half years of study. In 1946, the report of Bhore Committee reports stated that there were 47 thousand 524 registered medical practitioners in the country at that time, out of which 17,000 were MBBS and about 30,000 holds licensed. The same committee had decided to ban the licensees.