Medical education may remain with health ministry

New Delhi, Feb 15 (PTI) A top level meeting on theproposed National Commission of Higher Education and Research(NCHER) bill today learnt to have arrived at a "broadagreement" on keeping medical education under the Healthministry.

The meeting held against the backdrop of stiffopposition from the Health ministry on inclusion of medicaleducation under the NCHER reached a broad agreement onkeeping medical education under it, sources indicated.

However, more deliberations would be conducted before a"final decision" is made on the issue, they said.

The sources hinted that medical education could begoverned by the ministry''s proposed National Commission onHuman Resource for Health (NCHRH).

On the other hand, the programmes surrounding researchon medical education would come under the purview of NCHER,they said.

The meeting chaired by TKA Nair, Principal Secretary tothe Prime Minister, was attended by officials of Ministry ofHealth and Family Welfare and HRD Ministry besides task forcemembers on NCHER.

The task force, set up by the HRD Ministry, hadrecommended bringing all higher education, including medicaleducation and legal education under the purview of anoverarching regulatory body -- NCHER.

The Health Ministry had been opposing it tooth and nailsaying that medical education was closely linked with healthinfrastructure and should come under the ambit of the NCHRH.

Today''s meeting is also believed to have agreed onconstituting bodies with representation from both theministries in NCHER looking into the research aspect onmedical education.