A radical prescription for the Medical Council of India
BMJ 2016; 352 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i1731 (Published 31 March 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;352:i1731- Sanjay Nagral, consultant surgeon1,
- Anita Jain, research editor2,
- Samiran Nundy, dean3
- 1Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai 400026, India
- 2The BMJ, India
- 3Ganga Ram Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India
- Correspondence to: Sanjay Nagral sanjaynagral{at}gmail.com
In 2014, The BMJ launched a campaign against corruption that sparked global interest in the rampant practices of kickbacks for referrals, revenue targets in corporate hospitals, and capitation fees in private medical colleges in India.1 2 3 Change will take time, but a recent standing committee report to the Indian parliament provides reassurance. In a scathing indictment, the committee lays bare the Medical Council of India’s (MCI) failure to oversee quality and integrity in health services in the country.4 5 Recognising the erosion of trust in doctors and inadequacies of the existing health system, the committee makes far reaching recommendations to revolutionise medical education and healthcare in India (box).
The MCI was established under the Indian Medical Council Act 1933 and given responsibility for maintaining standards of medical education, providing ethical oversight, maintaining the medical register, and, through amendments in 1993, sanctioning medical colleges.6 It has, however, been much criticised and was temporarily dissolved in 2010 after charges of corruption.7
The MCI is also guilty of inaction on numerous ethical transgressions that accompany healthcare in India and of hounding whistleblowers who …
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