19 out of 20 posts of NMC boards remain vacant, 50% vacant for 2.5 yrs | India News

NEW DELHI: The functioning of the National Medical Commission seems to be in “total disarray” with the health ministry failing to fill 19 of the 20 posts in the four autonomous boards of the commission that regulate undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, recognition of medical colleges, and registration and regulation of doctors. Half the posts have been vacant for more than two and a half years and 75% have been vacant for more than 6 months.
In response to an RTI query, the health ministry said that the “appointment of the vacant posts(sic) of the National Medical Commission is under process”, a repeat of what it stated on February 3 in response to another RTI on the same issue. In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha on vacancies in the boards, the health ministry on March 18 said that “to fill up the vacant posts, advertisements have been published in English and Hindi national daily newspapers on 31/08/2024 and 11/10/2024 inviting applications from the eligible professionals”. Instead of advertising six months before the posts fell vacant, as the NMC Act stipulates, the ministry has advertised just as vacancy touched 75%.
In less than two months, all the boards will be totally vacant as the tenure of Dr Vijay Oza, president of the postgraduate medical education board ends on June 7. Posts of 10 of the 20 members of the four autonomous boards have been vacant since September 2022 i.e. for two and a half years. Of this, three posts were never filled since the inception of the NMC in 2020.
With no members in the boards, there appears to be confusion in implementing the decision taken by the commission. Despite NMC deciding in its meeting on September 23 last year that all appeals, including those from patients, against decisions taken by state medical council, will be entertained by the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), the secretariat of EMRB seems to be mechanically rejecting all appeals from patients.
On February 21, a patient’s husband from Punjab had his appeal rejected. Yet another appeal from Villupuram in Tamil Nadu was rejected a second time on March 24. The secretariat of EMRB seems unaware of the decision taken by the NMC and accepted by the EMRB in September last year as they continue to harp on a 2021 decision of the EMRB which ruled against allowing patients or their attendants to file appeals against decisions of state medical councils.
“The posts remaining vacant is affecting the day-to-day functioning of the NMC. What is shocking is that the health ministry is a mute spectator to the incompetent functioning of the NMC,” said Dr KV Babu, an ophthalmologist and RTI activist who has been fighting to get patients’ rights to appeal restored.

Position of vacancy

Every autonomous board of the NMC has five members—a president, two whole-time members and two part-time members. UGMEB- Undergraduate Medical Education Board, PGMEB- Postgraduate Medical Education Board, EMRB- Ethics & Medical Registration Board, MARB- Medical Assessment and Rating Board.

Source: Parliament question & answer