india

Updated: Nov 06, 2019 11:39 IST

Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba will head the seven-member search committee formed to choose the chairperson of the newly-constituted National Medical Commission (NMC) that aims to replace graft-ridden Medical Council of India (MCI) as the country’s apex medical education regulator.

A health ministry named Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi— Tata Memorial Centre’s senior oncologist, Dr Balram Bhargava—head of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Renu Swaroop— Secretary for Department of Biotechnology, Dr D Nageshwar Reddy— senior gastroenterologist at Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Preeti Sudan— health secretary and Dr Ajay Kumar Khanna—elected member Uttarakhand Medical Council, as the six other members of the panel.

The ministry said it had received close to 300 applications to fill the post of the chairman and the seven remaining posts in the 33-member commission. The last date for receiving applications was October 18.

The ministry on October 14 had selected 19 members through a draw of lots from a list of 65 candidates nominated by the States and the Union Territories. Another six were chosen from amongst the ex-officio members and medical experts of eminence.

The commission will have four autonomous boards, including a Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) to assess medical colleges and develop a system of ranking to help the students make an informed choice.

The Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB), the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) and the Ethics and Medical Registration Board are the other three.

The NMC Act 2019 was passed in August this year, and the ministry has nine months to constitute the commission. NMC has been constituted for the development and regulation of all aspects of medical education, profession and institutions.