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FOCUS ARTICLE

the most controversial provision of all Empowering doctors and nurses to do commission will have government
is for a bridge course allowing more is a reform many have called for, nominated chair man and members,
alternative-medicine practitioners to and that would have been easier to and the board members will be
prescribe modern drugs. One implement than a bridge course for selected by a search committee under
motivation could be to plug the AYUSH practitioners. Yet, the NMC the Cabinet Secretary. The draft bill
shortfall of rural doctors by creating a Bill hasn’t taken it up, say experts. also proposes a common entrance
new cadre of practitioners. But if this Another way to bolster healthcare exam and licentiate exam which all
was the rationale, better solutions delivery is a three-year diploma for medical graduates will have to clear to
exist. rural medical-care providers, along the get practising licences. A major
WAYS TO BOLSTER DOCTORS lines of the Licentiate Medical sticking point in the Bill is the prospect
The shortfall of MBBS doctors is Practitioners (LMC) who practised in of “cross-pathy” — a person trained in
partly due to the fact that many of them India before 1946. Chhattisgarh tried one stream of medicine practising
seek a post-graduate degree to this experiment in 2001 to tackle the another — which is specifically
improve career prospects. MCI paucity of doctors but massive disallowed under the current rules. All
regulations prevent even experienced protests by the Indian Medical said and done, the fact remains that
MBBS doctors from carrying out Association and poor execution India has no choice but to innovate with
procedures like caesareans and derailed the experiment, though the health-care delivery models to tackle
ultrasound tests, while nurses are idea wasn’t without merit. the challenges it faces.
barred from administering anaesthesia. According to the draft bill, the (PTI Feature)

(Contd from page 24) the apex court’s direction and utilise Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind president Kari
the money for the education and Mohammad Usman said the decision
optional embarkation point while those development of the disempowered will not have much effect because the
with Mangaluru as their EP will have among the minorities, including young subsidy was meant for Air India and not
the option of Bengaluru. According to girls. The All India Muslim Personal for the pilgrims. All India Muslim Majlis-
sources in the minority affairs ministry, Law Board (AIMPLB) said the e-Mushawarat (AIMMM), a federation
till 2017, the notional savings following government’s decision on revoking Haj of Muslim outfits, wanted that the
gradual abolition of subsidy since subsidy has no meaning as there was government should end all kinds of
2012 was to tune of Rs 636.56 crore. no such concession and Muslims were subsidies given for religious purposes.
In case, the government had chosen to being cheated in its name. Its president Naved Hamid demanded
reduce the subsidy gradually till 2022, Owaisi said the subsidy had to be that the government should float a
the total national savings would have stopped, since it was a Supreme Court global tender so that the Haj pilgrims
been around Rs 5970.6 crore, the judgement. “But it is important to see could avail cost-effective travel. The
sources said. Embarkation point once where the funds saved will be utilised. CPI (M) alleged that the government’s
selected cannot be changed later on Will they increase allocation of funds move was arbitrary and motivated by
as tendering will be done accordingly, for scholarships to Muslim girls? The other considerations and said that
the sources said. verdict is around the corner. Let’s see there should be no “central or state
Reacting to the government’s if government makes a separate government funding” for subsidies and
decision, the Congress said it hoped allocation for funds to scholarships to grants for pilgrimages.
that the Modi government will honour Muslims, especially girls,” he said. (PTI Feature)

(Contd from page 25) having ramifications for the This predictably drew criticism
independence and integrity of the from ruling BJP which accused Rahul
independent and they will sort the judiciary and the fact that Justice Misra and Congress of politicizing the rift in
matter themselves,” said Minister of had not been able to sort out the the apex court over allocation of cases.
State for Law P P Chaudhury. differences. But politicians will be well advised to
Attorney General K K Venugopal, Will the rift affect the functioning stay from meddling in a crisis never
who had a meeting with Justice Misra of the collegium which appoints judges seen before in the apex judiciary which
after the joint news conference of the to the higher judiciary? The political does not augur well for such a key pillar
four judges, said it “could have been slugfest over the rift in the apex of democracy. Let the apex judiciary
avoided”. There are many who question judiciary has already begun. Congress sort out its issues by themselves by
whether the four senior-most judges president Rahul Gandhi called the introspection and internal debate
should have gone to the media with points raised by the judges “extremely because the integrity of the judiciary
their differences with the CJI or should important” that “must be looked into takes precedence over everything else
have made public a letter they had carefully”. His party said it was “deeply at a time when the apex court has so
written to Justice Misra. There is also perturbed” by today’s developments often been as the messiah when the
the contrarian view that the four judges and asked the top court’s judges to political executive or the legislature
had no option but to go public because jointly take up the issues flagged by failed the people.
of the important issues involved the four judges. (PTI Feature)
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