The National Medical Commission (NMC), responsible for regulating medical education and medical professionals in India, has been operating without a full-time chairperson for the past four months. This situation persists despite the Union Health Ministry inviting applications last year to fill this critical position, reported The New Indian Express.
Currently, Dr BN Gangadhar, the former Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, has been serving as the NMC Chairman since September last year. He assumed this role after the first NMC chairman, Dr Suresh Chandra Sharma, completed his tenure in September.
Dr Gangadhar previously held the position of President of the Medical Assessment & Rating Board (MARB) and continues to hold that role. The MARB is responsible for defining the procedure for evaluating and rating medical institutions based on their adherence to established standards, conducting inspections, and granting permission for new medical institutions.
In addition to these critical positions, several other important posts within the NMC remain unfilled. The NMC currently lacks a full-time president for the Ethics & Medical Registration Board (EMRB). The EMRB’s responsibilities include maintaining national registers of all licensed medical practitioners, regulating their professional conduct, and promoting medical ethics in accordance with established rules. Furthermore, the positions of an ex-officio member and two members remain vacant within the 33-member autonomous body of the NMC.
Dr KV Babu, who filed a Right to Information (RTI) request on this matter, received a response from the Union Health Ministry, indicating that the “appointment to various vacant positions in the NMC, as advertised, is under process”. Dr Babu pointed out that the Union Health Ministry had issued an invitation for applications for these vacant posts, including the chairman’s position, seven months ago, reported The New Indian Express.
