Medical Council of India under Parliament Scrutiny

Symptoms Documented, But What about the Disease?

A parliamentary committee has closely studied the failings of the Medical Council of India and has made far-reaching recommendations which, if implemented, may well transform healthcare delivery in India. The underlying disease, however, is not the failures of the MCI but the complete commercialisation of medical education and of healthcare in the era of market triumphalism. Can we join the dots and demand a more systemic change?

Sanjay Nagral
April 2, 2016, EPW

In a scathing indictment of the functioning of the Medical Council of India (MCI), a parliamentary committee has tabled a 126-page report in the Rajya Sabha, which systematically dissects how and why the council has failed in its mandate (Parliament of India 2016). The committee led first by Satish Chandra Mishra and then by Ram Gopal Yadav consisted of 33 Members of Parliament (MPs) across the political spectrum and included six doctors.

After a two-year process of sittings, interactions with experts, studying press reports, websites and published articles, and visits to medical colleges, the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare makes far-reaching recommendations which, if taken seriously, have the potential to transform not only medical education but also healthcare delivery in India. Thus, given the current state of healthcare in India such a report merits public discussion.

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