Centre to look into MCI functioning: Harsh Vardhan

Government will look into the functioning of the Medical Council of India (MCI) as "its works create doubts", Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said today.
"The way the MCI functions is a serious issue for the country, as its works create doubts. Our government will study its functioning authoritatively. Whatever deficiency is noticed will be removed," he told reporters here.
Vardhan was asked as to how MCI decreased seats in government medical colleges citing lack of infrastructure and other facilities, but granted recognition and increased seats in private medical colleges having less facilities.
The Minister is on a three-day visit to Bihar to inspect the progress in construction work at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Patna, and get a first hand account of death of children in Muzaffarpur and its adjoining districts due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

Since the outbreak of the disease three weeks ago, 137 children, mostly below the age of six, have succumbed to AES and around 700 are admitted in two hospitals in Muzaffarpur. The reasons behind the disease have not been found till now.
Vardhan said a concerted effort by national and international organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was needed to find out the reasons behind the disease.
He said he will visit the Atlanta (US) based CDC to request senior scientists and doctors working there to focus on cracking the AES.

"Soon after returning to Delhi, I will go to CDC at Atlanta and meet senior scientists and doctors there. The unidentified disease that is killing so many innocent children in Bihar will be among the topics I will discuss," he added.