Cabinet nod for fresh ordinance on MCI

The Union Cabinet today gave its nod for issuance of a fresh ordinance for granting legality to the Board of Governors of Medical Council of India.
Sources said the Cabinet gave its approval to the Health Ministry note for the draft ordinance in this regard which is likely to be issued by the President soon.
The need for a fresh ordinance came after the earlier ordinance issued on May 21 by the President, granting legality to its board of governors, lapsed and government failed to get it replaced with an Act.
In the wake of the earlier ordinance lapsing, the Centre had directed the apex medical regulator not to take any policy decisions or hold important meetings.

Under the rules, the ordinance lapses if Parliament does not pass the bill replacing it within six weeks of the first sitting since it was promulgated. The first sitting in the case of MCI ordinance was August 5 which was the first day of the Monsoon Session.
The need for issuance of an ordinance came as the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2013, which allows for an elected apex medical regulator, is yet to be passed by Parliament.

The MCI was being run by a seven-member Board of Governors headed by its chairman -- all of whom were nominated by the government.

Though the MCI is functional till November 10 as per the previous Ordinance, it technically had no legal authority in the absence of an effective ordinance to take any decisions.
The new Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2013 seeks to empower the government to give directions to MCI on key policy matters and reduced the tenure of its president to four years.
The bill also allows only two such consecutive terms to the president. Earlier, the MCI president could have a five- year tenure and there was no limit on the number of terms.