With the tenure of 80 of the 103 members of the Medical Council of India (MCI) coming to an end in November or December, the health ministry has written to states and university senates to start the process of electing new members to the council. Meanwhile, the five-member Oversight Committee meant to oversee MCI 's functioning also resigned last week.With the announcement of fresh elections, all talk about a National Medical Commission to replace MCI has receded, especially with Parliament yet to enact the National Medical Commission Bill 2017 . With the Bill not coming up in the monsoon session, the government's avowed objective of overhauling the council has thus far proved a non-starter.The council, which the parliamentary standing committee on health had lambasted for failing to fulfil any of its mandates, will now successfully complete its five-year tenure at the end of the year. Oversight committees meant to reform its functioning have changed but the council has survived unchanged despite the scathing report of the standing committee and all efforts by successive governments to replace it with a new body through a law.According to sources, the Oversight Committee had written to the health ministry expressing its dissatisfaction with MCI's functioning and lack of support from the ministry, following which a meeting had been called by the health secretary. However, last week, the committee of five eminent doctors, including Niti Aayog member Dr Vinod Paul and AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, resigned ostensibly because they had completed one year. OC members contacted by TOI refused to comment on the reasons for their resignation. The committee had been constituted in July last year after another threemember OC led by retired Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, which had been appointed by the Supreme Court, quit after a year. During their tenure that OC had complained of MCI not complying with their directions.A five-judge bench of the SC had appointed the OC stating that the MCI was failing to discharge its duties and needed an overhaul.