Union Cabinet approves changes in abortion laws, homeopathy bill and Indian medicine system bill

The Union Cabinet approved a number of amendments to three bills that will be floored in the ensuing session of the Rajya Sabha. The three bills being discussed — National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCIM) Bill, Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill and the National Commission for Homeopathy Bill — indicate that these legislations will introduce some much-needed changes that might improve public health systems. Here’s what you need to know about these amendments. [caption id=“attachment_7543621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Image source: Getty Images.[/caption]

The NCIM Bill

The Cabinet approved the official amendments to the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCIM) Bill, 2019, yesterday. The NCIM Bill is yet to be passed by the Rajya Sabha, but if and when it is approved, it will promote the availability of better healthcare services across the nation and help the government ensure high ethical standards in medical services in India.   The NCIM Bill is also structured to “streamline the functions related to academic standards, evaluation, assessment and accreditation of educational institutions pertaining to Indian System of Medicine," the Cabinet revealed in a press release.  

The upper limit for abortions in India

The Union Cabinet also approved the extension of the upper limit for abortions in India from 20 weeks to 24 weeks yesterday. This amendment to the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971 was introduced to promote safe abortion practices in India, give women greater rights to their own bodies and hopefully reduce maternal mortality rates too.   This amendment was made keeping in mind the fact that many women do not realise they are pregnant until later. The amendment is also designed to protect the rights of survivors of rape, women with disabilities and minors from unwanted pregnancies.

Affordable and safe homeopathic healthcare

Some changes to the National Commission for Homeopathy (NCH) Bill, 2019, were also approved by the Union Cabinet yesterday. This Bill will introduce amendments to the Homeopathy Central Council (HCC) Act of 1973 and is specially designed to ensure that better homoeopathy education is promoted in India.   The amendments will also ensure that while affordable homeopathy healthcare is made easily available to the general public, transparency and accountability is also promoted to protect the interests of the people. The NCH Bill will build on the foundation laid by the HCC Act, but also make sure that the hurdles experienced in the implementation of the previous legislation are overcome for the sake of public health. For more information, read our article on   Abortion: Types, causes, safety, procedure and side effects_._ Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, India’s first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.