Standing Committee trashes IMC Bill for curbing autonomy

New Delhi, Dec 19 (UNI) The Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare today criticised the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill 2005, saying that it was an ''exercise in haste meant to compromise the autonomy of the institution'' responsible for high quality of medical education standards in the country.

Committee Chairman Amar Singh, who presented the report in Parliament this morning, told reporters here that after consultation with various state governments and medical institutions and experts, the Committee felt that the new bill indicates that a political person was trying to ''arbitrarily take away the authority and autonomy'' of an old institution.

He said the bill showed that the Central Government and IMC instead of being complementary were at loggerheads and there was bitterness and competition among the two. Apart from health minister Anbumani Ramadoss and his ministry officials, nobody -- neither the experts nor the state government -- supported the amendment bill, he said.

Mr Singh said the Committee members, which included senior Congress leader and Defence Minister A K Antony, BJP members Maneka Gandhi and Vinod Khanna and leaders from various other parties, were all opposed the bill as they felt that it was prepared in haste without taking expert view into account. It was basically meant to finish the institution of MCI, which was not acceptable, he said.

The Samajwadi Party leader said that all members of the standing Committee would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and convey their opposition to the bill, saying that professional body's autonomy should be maintained.

Asked if despite the opposition of the Standing Committee, the bill was brought before Parliament for voting in the case of OBC reservation bill, Mr Singh said the issue would be raised in Parliament collectively by the SP, AIADMK, TDP and even left parties and possibly the BJP.

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