Even as the doctors in India under the banner of the Indian Medical Association oppose introduction of the National Commission for Human Resources for Health Bill, 2011 in Parliament, an association of paramedical staff welcomes the move.
However, it has demanded some fundamental amendments before the Bill is passed.
“It has been 65 years since independence, and the country still does not have any regulatory body for over 50 per cent of the health workforce,” said Kaptan Singh Sehrawat, general secretary of Joint Forum of Medical Technologists of India.
“It includes allied health community, especially medical technologists who are working in various scientific and clinical departments of hospitals, institutions and laboratories,” said Sehrawat.
Such an Act is required to restrict mushrooming of private institutions that are run exclusively on commercial interests without any scientific standards, and which are least concerned about the well-being of people, stated a letter by the forum to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Act.
The Act seeks to set uniform standards for education, training and practice among health professionals. The forum has also submitted a detailed note to the committee, seeking certain amendments.
“We have given point-wise submissions about several aspects of the Bill. The key issue is that all categories of allied health services have been brought under one council,” said Sehrawat.
“It is impossible to manage 15 unregulated categories of allied health professionals or paramedical staff under the single Paramedical Council under the Act. Other councils such as dental or nursing ones will deal with only one category. This shows lack of will to sort out issues of maintaining standards among paramedics,” added Sehrawat.
Under the commission, the standing committee has proposed formation of councils to look into various categories of professions in health and allied health services. It has brought the existing councils under one roof with addition of the paramedicals council to regulate neglected services.
IMA, Delhi Medical Association and doctors who are associated with the Medical Council of India are opposing the Bill’s introduction on account of the commission becoming an overarching body, taking away autonomy from the hands of individual states and existing councils.
“Health is a state subject. How can a centralised body regulate it?” said Dr G K Ramachandrappa, national president of IMA.