Panagariya panel may adopt proposal on umbrella body

NATIONAL MEDICAL COMMISSION ON THE ANVIL

WITH ITS extension till July 15 over, the three-member Arvind Panagariya committee seems inclined to adopt recommendations of the Ranjit Roy Chaudhury committee for restructuring the Medical Council of India (MCI), sources have said. The Roy Chaudhury committee has recommended an umbrella National Medical Commission (NMC) under which will function four separate boards for undergraduate medical education, postgraduate medical education, accreditation and registration.

As per the Roy Chaudhury committee, this umbrella body “will serve as the central body providing oversight over medical professionals and their practice, with the overall objective to protect the interest of the doctor, patient and the general public”.

Sources said that the Panagariya committee would largely go by the proposals in the report. These proposals include a restriction of two terms for a member of the commission and a smaller 20-30 member body in place of the current 140-member council.

The recommendations also propose that a National Advisory Council be set up under the NMC where states can voice their concerns. It will comprise the Chairman and members of NMC, V-CS of medical universities, one nominee each from states and Union Territories that do not have a medical university and one elected member of each state medical council.

The Roy Chaudhury Committee was formed in July 2014 to look into MCI’S functioning. It submitted its report in February 2015. It was the cornerstone of the revised IMC Act that the health ministry readied in November last year.

The Panagariya committee, which was formed at the PMO’S behest to clean up the medical education mess, looked at the committee’s report, the 92nd report of the Parliamentary standing committee on health and family welfare and draft of the revised IMC Act. It also held consultations with state governments, MCI and experts.

Sources said it also looked closely at the medical education system in countries like the US and UK. The expert committee recommendations are based largely on the UK system but the committee also found merit in the US system where entry into a medical course is not difficult but nobody gets to practice unless they clear a stringent exit exam.

Pending finalisation of the Panagariya committee’s report, a three-member panel led by former CJI R M Lodha has been formed by Supreme Court to oversee MCI’S functioning.

In its May 2 order, the apex court said: “The said (Lodha) Committee will have the authority to oversee all statutory functions under the MCI Act... The Committee will be free to issue appropriate remedial directions. The Committee will function till the Central Government puts in place any other appropriate mechanism after due consideration of the Expert Committee (Ranjit Roy Choudhury) Report.”