By The Editor
None can dispute the fact that health is very much essential for people to carry on with their daily activities. However, due to various reasons many ignore it and they realise only when they become sick thus incapacitating them from performing normal duties. Healthcare system also improved considerably over the years which subsequently enabled humans to be healthy and livelonger. Nowadays, people are becoming more aware about importance of health and they start stressing not only on curing system but primarily on preventive measures because they believe that, “ Prevention is better than cure”. Challenges faced by big countries like India are manifold due to increasing population, geographical barriers, lack of infrastructures, etc. World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends a doctor population ratio of 1:1000 and central government has been dwelling much on health sector that within period of six years tremendous changes and developments have taken place for overall betterment and progress of its citizens.
In 2014 there were only 381 medical colleges in the country and number of doctors passing out was not proportionate to increasing population in spite of the fact that private medical colleges too contributed though quite insignificant. Within period of six years, that is, by 2020 number of medical colleges has gone up to 562, an increase of about 48 per cent, number of medical seats increased by around 56 per cent from 54, 348 to 84,649 while post-graduate seats nearly doubled from 30,191 to 55,595. Consequently, there is at present comfortable doctor- population ratio of 1:825. Among new medical colleges, 39 are prioritised for Aspirational Districts where there is acute need of doctors and specialists. Meanwhile, in order to revamp healthcare system, inputs from different related bodies like Medical Council of India (MCI), National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), including various ministries of central government as well as consultations and cooperation of all stakeholders were received with a view to overhaul the system. Consequently, National Medical Commission (NMC) was established as per the NMC Act passed in August 2019 which came into force on September 25, 2020.
Aims and objectives of NMC are: (1) Improve access to quality and affordable medical examination; (2) Ensure availability of adequate and high-quality medical professionals in all parts of the country; (3) Encourage research; (4) Provide uniform healthcare to all; (5) Objectively assess medical institutions periodically; (6) Maintain medical register for India; (7) Enforce high ethical standards; (8) Have an effective grievance redressal mechanism. In order to ensure availability of doctors and specialists, norms for setting up medical colleges have been relaxed and consortium is allowed to establish these. It is mandatory for medical college to have well-functioning hospital with 300-bed multi-speciality hospital for at least two years at the time of applying for new medical college. New standards for land requirement have been revised and relaxed to facilitate private parties in starting medical colleges.