india

Updated: Oct 16, 2019 01:41 IST

A seven-member team headed by the cabinet secretary will select the chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC), a body that will replace the graft-tainted Medical Council of India to regulate medical education in the country.

The Union health ministry has received close to 300 applications from across the country for the posts of chairman, and seven other members of the 33-member commission that are yet to be filled. The last date for receiving applications is October 18.

The ministry had on Monday selected 19 members through a draw of lots. These members were picked from a list of 65 candidates nominated by the states and union territories. The remaining six were a mix of ex-officio members and medical experts, taking the total number of chosen members to 25.

“We have fast-tracked the constitution of the NMC even though we have been given 9 months but we will try to ensure that the Commission is up and running within 6 months. We are on track given the NMC Act 2019 was passed in August,” said Union health minister Harsh Vardhan.

The first round of selection was for the 10 of the 19 members that were picked from a list of 36 vice-chancellors (VCs) of health universities that the states had nominated individually. The remaining 9 members were picked in the second round from 29 nominations made by the state medical councils across the country.

“There is a lot to be done in the education sector, especially medical education. NMC is going to be a game changer, and I am happy to have got the opportunity to work to strengthen medical education after being a part of patient care for about 34 years,” said Dr Mahesh Verma, one of the VCs chosen as NMC member.

The NMC Act 2019 was passed in August this year, and the ministry has nine months to constitute the commission.

“This is a good step and we all are hopeful that it will help in regulating and strengthening the medical education sector. Eventually, how successful the move is will depend on the commission members, and how they function. But it was long overdue,” says Dr K K Talwar, former chairman of the board of governors, Medical Council of India.