Tenure of MCI board of governors extended

A notification to this effect has been issued by the government soon after the passage of the Medical Council of India (Amendment) Act in Parliament, sources said today.

All sitting members of the MCI BoG, headed by its chairman K K Talwar, have been retained by the government, sources add.

Even though the tenure of MCI Board of Governors is extended for a period of one year, the present orders do not specify the period of extension as the government hopes to establish the National Commission for Human Resources in Health (NCHRH) this year.

The proposed NCHRH will subsume in it all existing regulators like Medical Council of India (MCI), Dental Council of India (DCI), Pharmacy and Nursing Councils.

Incidentally, various members of political parties raised strong objections while debating the Medical Council of India (Amendment) Act in Parliament and UPA ally Trinamool Congress had voted against the Congress on this bill, wanting an elected MCI BoG.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad also faced a lot of heat in the Lok Sabha while getting the MCI Bill passed and for giving further extention to the present MCI BoG and for not bringing in an elected Board of Governors.

Azad, during the passing of the MCI Bill, had said in Parliament that government was giving extention to BoG as the NCHRH Bill would come soon after the Parliamentary Committee clears it. He said after the NCHRH Bill comes in, the MCI will become part of it.

The proposed NCHRH Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha last year and sent to Parliamentary panel on Health.