NITI Aayog in Favour of Scrapping MCI

Bogged down by lax rules and regulations, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has to be scrapped- recommends a committee of NITI Aayog.

In view of the poor regulation of the medical education, the committee would submit its report next week said sources. The committee has finalised its report after several rounds of deliberation on the issue with stakeholders and experts.

The three- member committee is headed by Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog Arvind Panagariya.

There is an increasing demand of the medical colleges for producing more doctors in the country, failing which the MCI should be scrapped, observed the panel.

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The committee has recommended setting up another new body while taking into consideration new approaches like- career, ethics and enterprise.

P K Mishra, Prime Minister's additional principal secretary, Amitabh Kant , CEO of Niti Aayog are also on the board of the committee to find out the issue of poor regulation of medical education by MCI.

It is to be noted that this parliamentary committee has suggested for revamping the MCI while citing that it had failed as regulator body causing deterioration of the medical education in the country.

The committee asked Government to restructure and revamp the regulatory system of medical education and medical practices and use its constitutional power and take decisive action.

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The important recommendations of panel

• There is a massive failure of the MCI
• Govt have to take initiatives unleashing reforms,
• Medical education system is fast sliding downwards and the quality has been deteriorated
• There is an increasing commercialisation of medical education and practice,
• MCI failed to create a curriculum suited to the Indian context, especially in rural and poor urban areas.
• MCI also failed to maintain uniform standards of UG and PG medical education.
• Devaluation of merit in admission, especially in private medical institutions due to excessive capitation fees
• Medical education is available only to the rich and not to the most deserving one.
• MCI failed in setting up medical colleges as per the need of the country.
• There is an acute shortage of medical teachers and the huge gap in doctor-population ratio.

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The panel also said that MCI has miserably failed to oversee and guide the medical education in the country. The council has also failed to instil a code of ethics in the medical profession and take strict actions against the doctors for violating the code. The important task has gone in the hands of the commercial private industry.