Cabinet clears ordinance to dismantle 'tainted' MCI

New Delhi: In a significant decision aimed at bringing complete transparency in the medical education system, the government on Wednesday dismantled the governing body of the scam-tainted Medical Council of India (MCI) through an ordinance and allowed a committee of eminent professionals to run the institution.

The panel of eminent professionals, which is led by Niti Aayog Member and celebrated neonatologist VK Paul, would be the custodian of the MCI till Parliament passes a bill which seeks to replace the body with a National Medical Commission (NCM), which is pending in the Parliament.

Soon after President Ram Nath Kovind signed the ordinance, a committee comprising of seven renowned professionals, took charge of MCI with Paul becoming the new MCI chairman.

While briefing reporters, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Union Cabinet cleared the ordinance on Wednesday and the President has given his assent.

The Board of Governors includes Niti Aayog member VK Paul, AIIMS, Delhi director Randeep Guleria, PGIMER, Chandigarh director Jagat Ram, NIMHANS Bangalore director BN Gangadhar and Nikhil Tandon, professor, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at AIIMS here. They were all members of the second oversight committee. Others such as DGHS S Venkatesh and ICMR DG Balram Bhargava are ex-officio members.

According to sources, the move has been initiated on 'urgent' basis to put a stop on rampant corruption in the MCI as the institution was still running on the 'direction' of former MCI president Ketan Desai, who faced jailed term and now out on bail in several corruption charges.

Amid allegations of corruption against MCI office-bearers and probes into opaque accreditation to medical colleges, the Supreme Court had in May 2016 directed the government to set up an oversight committee with authority to oversee all statutory functions of MCI till the new legislation comes in.

"The government has taken several path-breaking efforts and initiatives to achieve the universal health coverage and other targets of sustainable development goals, but it all suffered in lack inadequate number of qualified healthcare professionals due to the slow pace of reforms in medical education by MCI," an official said.