The government is replacing the Medical Council of India with another body to restore the standards of medical education in the country.

The state of medical education in India is rotten to the core. This is a truism that many in the medical profession have known for quite a while. With the Government now replacing the executive of the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new governing board through an ordinance, it has taken the first step towards restoring some amount of sanctity to medical training going forward.

While the MCI’s stand on the Government’s ill-advised idea of allowing Ayurvedic and Homeopathic practitioners to dispense western medicine was correct, its refusal to cooperate with the Government and the Supreme Court-appointed oversight committee on improvements to medical education, such as a new syllabus and increasing class size, was becoming a huge problem. There were also loud rumours of alleged corruption in the MCI when it came to admissions and approvals granted to colleges.

With Prime Minister Modi recently launching his latest social scheme, the Jan Arogya Mission, a few days ago, this move became inevitable and with the Supreme Court likely to welcome this decision, along with most members of the medical fraternity, it appears that other than the now-dissolved executive body  of the MCI, nobody is really complaining. In fact, this decision has been wholeheartedly welcomed by all and sundry, even by critics of the Government.

To ensure that the Opposition does not ask too many questions about the decision, the new governing body is loaded with medical professionals who are highly regarded. One accusation thrown about the failure to pass the National medical Council Bill in Parliament was that there was a ‘Gujarat Lobby’ at work in the Government, but this decision has put those allegations to rest. However, the new body has its task cut out.

First, it will have to prevent overreach by the Government, such as allowing non-certified practitioners to dispense medication. At the same, it will have to take urgent steps to ensure that India produces millions of new doctors needed to ensure adequate healthcare for all and ensure that these new doctors receive adequate training. The fact is that India’s healthcare sector is still massively skewed towards large urban centres like Delhi and Mumbai. This needs to change, which cannot happen overnight. But to ensure a healthy India and unhealthy MCI needed to go.

Writer: Pioneer

Courtesy: The Pioneer

The government is replacing the Medical Council of India with another body to restore the standards of medical education in the country.

The state of medical education in India is rotten to the core. This is a truism that many in the medical profession have known for quite a while. With the Government now replacing the executive of the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new governing board through an ordinance, it has taken the first step towards restoring some amount of sanctity to medical training going forward.

While the MCI’s stand on the Government’s ill-advised idea of allowing Ayurvedic and Homeopathic practitioners to dispense western medicine was correct, its refusal to cooperate with the Government and the Supreme Court-appointed oversight committee on improvements to medical education, such as a new syllabus and increasing class size, was becoming a huge problem. There were also loud rumours of alleged corruption in the MCI when it came to admissions and approvals granted to colleges.

With Prime Minister Modi recently launching his latest social scheme, the Jan Arogya Mission, a few days ago, this move became inevitable and with the Supreme Court likely to welcome this decision, along with most members of the medical fraternity, it appears that other than the now-dissolved executive body  of the MCI, nobody is really complaining. In fact, this decision has been wholeheartedly welcomed by all and sundry, even by critics of the Government.

To ensure that the Opposition does not ask too many questions about the decision, the new governing body is loaded with medical professionals who are highly regarded. One accusation thrown about the failure to pass the National medical Council Bill in Parliament was that there was a ‘Gujarat Lobby’ at work in the Government, but this decision has put those allegations to rest. However, the new body has its task cut out.

First, it will have to prevent overreach by the Government, such as allowing non-certified practitioners to dispense medication. At the same, it will have to take urgent steps to ensure that India produces millions of new doctors needed to ensure adequate healthcare for all and ensure that these new doctors receive adequate training. The fact is that India’s healthcare sector is still massively skewed towards large urban centres like Delhi and Mumbai. This needs to change, which cannot happen overnight. But to ensure a healthy India and unhealthy MCI needed to go.

Writer: Pioneer

Courtesy: The Pioneer