Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) The central government is working on an ordinance to dissolve the Medical Council of India and replace it with a seven-member governing committee to resolve the current crisis surrounding the statutory regulatory body, according to a top official.
According to the sources, a seven-member board of eminent doctors

like former director of AIIMS P.Venugopal, senior cardiologist K.K. Talwar and M.S. Valiathan will soon replace MCI.

The decision came after MCI president Ketan Desai was arrested April 22 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs.2 crore to recognise a medical college in Punjab though it did not meet MCI standards. His resignation was forwarded to the health ministry Wednesday.

“We are examining what can be done,” Health Secretary Sujatha Rao said Friday. The MCI was set up by an act of parliament in 1956, she explained, adding that it did not empower the government which has to work within “a certain legal framework”.

“The government should have power to give directions to the MCI for what it has to do. If they do something wrong, we can take action,” Rao said, speaking to media persons. Since such a crisis was never witnessed before, the government “is examining what can be done”, she added.

The MCI issue was discussed in the cabinet meeting Thursday and an ordinance to replace the council by a board of eminent doctors approved, according to health ministry sources. However, ministry officials remained tight-lipped on the issue, saying that a final decision will be announced soon.

“There is a crisis. Our inability to respond to it brought out the shortcomings in the medical council act,” Rao said.

“The 1956 act did not empower us. It has been set up by parliament.. there is a certain legal framework in which we can work. Such crisis was never witnessed before. So we are examining what can be done,” she said.

Hinting at legislative changes in the offing, Rao said that there will be “a legislative response to what has happened”. A draft law to regulate medical education in the country would be ready within a month, Rao said.

“Till that time it happens, something has to be done. The government cannot keep quiet.”

Commenting on the increasing corrupt practices in medical bodies, Rao said a clean-up was needed in all councils. “None of the councils is working properly,” she said.

However, she assured that the interests of students will not be affected in any way.

The MCI, a statutory body tasked to oversee the standards of medical education in India, grants recognition to medical degrees, gives accreditation to medical colleges, registers medical practitioners and monitors medical practice in the country.

–Indo-Asian-News Service

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