Speakers at round table meet fault NMC Bill of Centre

Hyderabad: Eminent speakers at a round table spoke against the NMC bill of the NDA government and demanded that it be scrapped in view of several disadvantages.

Telangana Doctors Federation held a round table meet on "Effects of NMC bill on present Health System" at Basheer Bagh Press club on Monday.

Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) chief Prof Kodandaram said the NMC is a ploy of the Centre to take all powers and control of the medical and health sector in the country.

He felt States would lose their autonomous hold on health after the new policy comes into effect. Prof Haragopal felt that Centre resolved to privatise medical education without bothering about views of stakeholders.

He warned that if brakes were not applied on Centre now (in NMC bill issue), the same strategy would be applied by the NDA government to take control of other sectors also.

Janasena leader and retired CBI JD Laxminarayana felt that rules needed to be framed in such a way that NMC bill should benefit everyone. He called upon stakeholders and intellectuals in the society to frame rules and submit it to the Centre.

BC Sankshema Sangham national president R Krishnaiah was highly critical of the Centre for its decision to give authority to private medical colleges to fix fees on 50 per cent of seats, which he said would seriously affect meritorious students from poor financial background.