The National Medical Commission (NMC), in place of the Medical Council of India (MCI), as the country's apex regulator of medical education and profession, has come into existence from today. With the NMC coming into being, the Board of Governors (BoG) which superseded the MCI on September 26th, 2018, to perform its functions, has been dissolved and the nearly 64-year-old Indian Medical Council Act abolished.  

Dr. Suresh Chandra Sharma, former head of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences ENT department, Delhi, has been appointed as chairman for a period of three years.

The NMC Act, which seeks to usher in mega reforms in the medical education sector, received the assent of the president on August 8th last year. The NMC comprises a chairman, 10 ex-officio members, and 22 part-time members.

Meanwhile, the Government today clarified that Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) doesn't cover COVID-19 related deaths. In a tweet, Press Information Bureau, however, said Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) covers COVID deaths with certain conditions.

The clarification came in the wake of claims on social media that kin of those who died of COVID-19 can claim insurance under PMJJBY and  PMSBY.