Ordinance to supersede MCI cleared by government

The ordinance to supersede Medical Council of India (MCI) will strengthen medical education in the country. The powers of the council have been vested in a Board of Governors (BoG). Professionals of great eminence, who were earlier part of the Oversight Committee formed by the Supreme Court, will constitute the BoG and will work toward enhancing access to quality healthcare for all. The GoI has been committed to improving healthcare of all, particularly the poor and deprived sections. The country has faced several challenges in the health sector: high levels of out-of-pocket expenditure and catastrophic expenditure that impoverished people due to inadequate public health infrastructure and limited access and coverage of essential and life-saving interventions. During the last four years, several measures have been taken to systematically address these challenges.

The ambitious programs and policies of healthcare could not be made a reality without ensuring availability of required number of qualified doctors and other healthcare professionals. Realizing this need, the government has attempted to bring about reforms in medical education. The government has appointed the BoG in supersession of MCI. The board members include persons of eminence in the medical field, namely: Dr VK Paul, member, NITI Aayog; Dr Randeep Guleria, director, AIIMS, New Delhi; Dr Jagat Ram, director, PGIMER, Chandigarh; Dr BN Gangadhar, director, NIMHANS, Bangalore; and Dr Nikhil Tandon, professor, department of endocrinology and metabolism, AIIMS, New Delhi who were the members of second OC. Dr S Venkatesh, DGHS and Prof. Balram Bhargava, secretary, DHR & director General ICMR will be the ex-officio members. It is expected that the BoG will bring about urgent and the much required reforms in the field of medical education and promote access to quality healthcare for all the people of India.