Government reconstitutes Medical Council of India with 68 new members

November 7, 2013

Giving effect to the Indian Medical Council(Amendment) Second Ordinance, 2013, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reconstituted the Medical Council of India (MCI) with 68 new members. With this, the autonomy of the Council has been reinstated after a gap of over 3 years when the Board of Governors (BoG) took over the running of the Medical Council of India. As per provisions contained in section 3AA of the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) second ordinance, 2013, the powers and functions of the board of governors (BoG) of MCI stand withdrawn and the BoG of MCI dissolved with immediate effect.

What went wrong with the Medical Council of India (MCI)?

In 2010, the MCI was dissolved after its president was arrested by the CBI for accepting a bribe to grant recognition to a private college. Subsequently government superseded the MCI by issuing an ordinance in May 2010 and the running of the Council was taken over by the BoG. Since then the health ministry has been seeking extension of the tenure of BoG governing MCI.

Who are the new members in the Medical Council of India (MCI)?

New members include representatives from the central government, universities, and registered medical graduates. Among the 68 members of the Council, 29 members will represent the Universities/ Health Sciences Universities, 23 members will be nominated by the Central Government in consultation with the States, 8 members will be nominated by the Centre, 7 members will representing the Registered Medical Graduates of the states, and 1 member will be nominated by the Central Government representing the UT Administration of Daman and Diu. As per health ministry, elections for the office-bearers would be held soon. The new president and vice-president will hold office for not more than 2 years. The other members whether nominated or elected shall hold office for a term of 4 years only.

What is the role of Medical Council of India (MCI)?

The Medical Council of India (MCI) is a statutory body with the responsibility of establishing and maintaining high standards of medical education and recognition of medical qualifications in India. It registers doctors to practice in India, in order to protect and promote the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine.
MCI was established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933, now repealed, with the main function of establishing uniform standards of higher qualifications in medicine and recognition of medical qualifications in India and abroad. The number of medical colleges had increased steadily during the years after Independence. It was felt that the provisions of Indian Medical Council Act were not adequate to meet with the challenges posed by the very fast development and the progress of medical education in the country. As a result, in 1956, the old Act was repealed and a new one was enacted. This was further modified in 1964, 1993 and 2001.

The objectives of the Medical Council of India (MCI) are as follows:-

Maintenance of uniform standards of medical education, both undergraduate and postgraduate.
Recommendation for recognition/de-recognition of medical qualifications of medical institutions of India or foreign countries.
Permanent registration/provisional registration of doctors with recognised medical qualifications,
Reciprocity with foreign countries in the matter of mutual recognition of medical qualifications.

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