Centre fills key vacant positions at NMC

Mint

a day ago

The government has made a series of appointments to fill key vacant positions at the country's apex medical education regulator and its four autonomous boards, the Union health ministry announced on Tuesday.
The crucial appointments include 10 part-time members from state and Union territory governments, nine part-time members from state medical councils, the fourth part-time member of each of the four autonomous boards, and one expert for the search committee.
All appointments, made for a period of two years through a transparent draw of lots, aim to enhance the functioning of medical colleges and drive crucial reforms in medical education across the country.
On 11 July, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of Dr. Abhijat Sheth as the chairperson of the National Medical Commission (NMC) for a four-year term. Sheth also serves as the president of the National Board of Examinations in Sciences (NBEMS).
NMC appointments are made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on the recommendations of a search committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.
Mint reported on 4 July that the health ministry had asked the Cabinet Secretariat to urgently fill 18 top-level vacancies at the medical education regulator, reeling under a leadership void ahead of the next academic session.
The results of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for undergraduate medical courses, which the NMC conducts, were declared on 14 June, and admissions counselling has started.
The NMC consists of a chairperson, 10 ex-officio members, and 22 part-time members. The 18 posts of members equivalent to the rank of additional secretary had been vacant for six to eight months, Mint reported, citing government officials.
The Tuesday health ministry statement said Union minister for health and family welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, had overseen the appointments.
The selection process adhered to the procedures outlined in the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.
Meanwhile, Dr. M.K. Ramesh, former president of the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB), was named president of the Medical Assessment Rating Board (MARB).
The NMC comprises four autonomous boards: the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB), Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB), Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), and Medical Assessment Rating Board (MARB).
The move is expected to strengthen the NMC's ability to oversee and regulate medical education effectively, especially following recent stringent actions taken by the commission against a private medical college and an assessor in a bribery scandal.