India Govt proposes a new Bill to regulate health-related services

National Initiative for Allied Health Sciences (NIAHS)-Technical Support Unit (TSU)

As you might be aware, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare envisions to establish a Central Council for all Allied and Healthcare Professionals in the country. In order to ensure standardization of education and practice, the MoHFW had been working on the ‘Allied and Healthcare Professional’s Central Council Bill’. The draft version of the Bill has been uploaded on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website for public opinion.

The government has proposed a new bill concerning delivery of health related services in the country, including allied services covering therapeutic, diagnostic, curative, preventive and rehabilitative. This new bill is called The Allied and Healthcare Professional’s Central Council Bill, 2015

Nothing mentioned about Homoeopathy and the councils related to homoeopathy

The objective of this bill is to regulate the professional conduct of allied and healthcare professionals, prepare and maintain a national live register, prescribe minimum standards of education, provide for a scheme of reciprocity for the purpose of recognition of foreign qualifications, ensure compliance of various statutory provisions under this Act and also provides for a uniform entry exam for admission to allied and healthcare educational institutions for undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses.

All these functions would be carried out by a Central Council to be constituted as provided under this Bill, which would be headed by the Secretary to the Dept. of Health & Family Welfare. Regulatory bodies like the Medical Council of India (MCI), Indian Nursing Council (INC), Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), National Board of Examination (NBE), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)/ Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), University Grant’s Commission (UGC) will be represented in the central council, among other members as designated in the Bill.

A very important provision of this Bill is a central repository of live register. “The State Councils shall maintain a live register and enter names in it of allied and healthcare professionals in the manner determined by the Rules by the Central Government in this regards. No person shall be entitled to practice under this Act unless his name is entered in the State register of the appropriate regulator in the State where the professional is providing the services.”

Please send comments on dirahs-mohfw@gov.in, latest by 25th October 2015.

Kindly use one of the following ways to view the draft version:

1. Visit the MoHFW website http://www.mohfw.nic.in/ (News and Highlights section) – A Draft of “The Allied and Healthcare Professional’s Central Council Bill 2015” is placed under public domain seeking valuable comments from the Public  (Release Date :01/10/2015 )
2. Visit : http://www.mohfw.nic.in/showfile.php?lid=3597 for direct access to the introductory page.
3. To directly view the Draft bill, please visit the direct link :  http://mohfw.gov.in/showfile.php?lid=3596

We are aware of the concern related to the upcoming and existing State Councils, for which provisions have been made in the Central Council and the rules made by the Central Government will be applicable.