A radical prescription for the Medical Council of India

The MCI is also guilty of inaction on numerous ethical transgressions that accompany healthcare in India and of hounding whistleblowers... but there's hope for a cure.

Sanjay Nagral
March 31, 2016, BMJ

Hope for a cure

In 2014, The BMJ launched a campaign against corruption that sparked global interest in the rampant practices of kickbacks for referrals, revenue targets in corporate hospitals, and capitation fees in private medical colleges in India.1 2 3 Change will take time, but a recent standing committee report to the Indian parliament provides reassurance. In a scathing indictment, the committee lays bare the Medical Council of India’s (MCI) failure to oversee quality and integrity in health services in the country.4 5 Recognising the erosion of trust in doctors and inadequacies of the existing health system, the committee makes far reaching recommendations to revolutionise medical education and healthcare in India (box).

The MCI was established under the Indian Medical Council Act 1933 and given responsibility for maintaining standards of medical education, providing ethical oversight, maintaining the medical register, and, through amendments in 1993, sanctioning medical colleges.6 It has, however, been much criticised and was temporarily dissolved in 2010 after charges of corruption.7

The MCI is also guilty of inaction on numerous ethical transgressions that accompany healthcare in India and of hounding whistleblowers who …

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