IMA wants Kerala government to act on NMC Bill

Thiruvananthapuram: The state unit of IMA has urged the government to join its fight against the proposed NMC Bill citing its provisions curtailing the rights of states drastically against the spirit of federalism.

In a representation to the health minister, it said Section 10, Clause 1 and Subsection (i) provides for powers to the commission to fix fee up to a maximum of forty percent. So far this power has been exercised by the states.

Kerala had a provision for 50% of seats in private medical colleges in government quota; 35% at government-fixed rates to be allotted by the managements and only 15% were left entirely to them to allot and fix the fee.

By vesting this power in NMC, the states are divested of their control over private medical colleges.

It claims this provision would also take away the social justice component and relief provided by the states to grant access to people belonging to lower socio-economic strata to the medical education.

Providing more than 60% of the seats to the discretion of the private medical colleges is unacceptable. 

It also pointed out that the representation to states had been restricted in number in NMC and a state will get represented only once in 20 years. 

The representation of states should be restored to one per state as in MCI.  It is in this context that the IMA has sought state government's intervention.