Indian Medical Association Wants MCI Election Process to Continue

New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded that the election process of Medical Council of India should be allowed to continue, days after an ordinance was issued for a committee of eminent professionals to run the MCI till a bill to set up a new regulatory body is passed by parliament.

The IMA Action Committee, in an emergency session held in Mumbai, condemned the "supersession" of MCI terming the government's move, at a juncture when the election to MCI has been announced, as "unwarranted and malafide".

It also vowed to resist the National Medical Commission Bill (NMC) 2017, which is pending in parliament. The bill seeks to replace MCI with National Medical Commission.

In a statement, IMA, which is a pan-India voluntary organization of 2.5 lakh doctors, said that the composition of the Board of Governors (BoG) was unacceptable.

Directors of major National institutions would scarcely find time to administer more than 450 medical colleges and their PG, UG courses. Moreover there is no representation to women and Registered Medical Practitioners, it said,

"IMA is convinced that supersession of MCI is only a smoke screen and is a ploy to prepare the ground for NMC and sabotage the democratic process of MCI," the statement said.

The IMA demanded that the BOG should refrain from taking any major policy decisions or amendments changing the character of the IMC Act.

"IMA will continue its resistance to the NMC Bill. Any intentions of the NMC Bill implemented through the appointed BOG will be opposed by IMA," the largest body of medical doctors said.

IMA demanded that BOG should conform to the basic tenets of IMC Act and refrain from tinkering its fundamental structure.

An ordinance was issued on Wednesday to allow a committee of eminent professionals run the scam-tainted MCI till the NMC bill is passed by Parliament.