The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has turned down the proposal made by the Center regarding the conductance of ‘Bridge Courses’. The proposal of the Center sought permitting AYUSH practitioners, practicing modern medicine after the bridge courses. It was after facing the strong opposition during the Parliament meeting, which the bill was referred to the standing committee.
The Committee, besides rejecting the proposal, looking to enhance the capacity of AYUSH doctors, BSc Nursing, BDS and BPharm graduates, went onto omit the National Licentiate Examination (NLE) or also known as National Exit Test (NEXT) – which is meant for approving the MBBS graduates for practicing. Along with making the comment on the courses, the Parliamentary Committee also expressed the need to increase the member strength of the National Medical Commission from 25 to 29.
