Latest news with #DelhiMedicalCouncilAct
India Gazette
16-05-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
"Proposal to dissolve Delhi Medical Council awaits acceptance from LG," says Health Minister Pankaj Singh
By Tanya Chugh New Delhi [India], May 16 (ANI): Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh has passed the proposal to dissolve the Delhi Medical Council, however, the proposal awaits acceptance from the LG's office. The said proposal has been passed by the minister, keeping in mind the financial irregularities in the council along with discrepancies in registrations, and mismanagement in functioning. 'We have passed the decision to dissolve the Delhi Medical Council and sent it to the Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor for approval. We are currently awaiting his acceptance. There are several serious shortcomings in the Council, ranging from financial liabilities to issues with registrations. We will initiate an investigation into this matter,' Health Minister Singh told ANI. He further added, 'We have decided to dissolve the Council, and the Director of Health Services (DHS) will take over its responsibilities as the registrar. New registrations for our young doctors will continue under DHS. Once things are streamlined, we will hold elections in consultation with DHS. DHS will look after the Council's responsibilities until further orders.' 'Additionally, the tenure of president is also about to end,' he added. The Delhi Medical Council, a statutory body, was established in September 1998 following the enactment of the Delhi Medical Council Act, 1997 by the Government of the NCT of Delhi. The body is entrusted with the powers, responsibilities, and functions of regulating the practice of modern scientific medicine within the National Capital Territory of Delhi. If the file gets approval from the Lieutenant Governor's office, then it will be the first time that so council will be dissolved since its inception in the year 1997. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Delhi govt seeks to dissolve medical council over alleged irregularities
The Delhi government has moved a proposal to dissolve the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), the statutory body that regulates medical practice in the Capital, amid allegations of mismanagement and irregularities in its functioning, people familiar with the matter said. If approved by the lieutenant governor (LG), this will be the first time that the council has been dissolved since its inception in 1998. HT has learnt that the health department has sent a file titled 'Proposal for control of government over Delhi Medical Council under Section 29 of the DMC Act, 1997' to LG VK Saxena, recommending the council's dissolution. DMC is an autonomous statutory body whose primary role is to regulate the practice of doctors in Delhi and ensure ethical practices are followed by private doctors in the city for patient safety. No response was received from the LG's office despite multiple attempts to reach them for a comment on the matter. A senior health department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: 'The file has recently been sent to the LG for approval to dissolve the council. Letters have been sent to the DMC in the past asking it to address systematic irregularities in its functioning, particularly regarding the undue extension of the former registrar's tenure. The allegations of irregularities in managing the council will be investigated and a decision will be taken accordingly.' No response was forthcoming from Delhi health minister Pankaj Singh despite repeated attempts to reach him. Meanwhile, the development has raised concerns within the DMC, with several members calling the move politically motivated and an attempt to 'control the body'. On March 3, the Delhi government wrote to the council seeking an explanation for alleged malpractices, including the unlawful continuation of Dr Girish Tyagi as registrar, the disbursal of salary post retirement, and recruitment related irregularities. The DMC's acting president, Dr Naresh Chawla, said the council has repeatedly requested the government to appoint a registrar but received no response. 'Now we fear that the government is likely to dissolve the council using its power under Section 29... It will be unfair to dissolve the DMC just a few months ahead of the council elections,' he told HT. The DMC was established in September 1998 under the Delhi Medical Council Act, 1997. Section 29 of the Act empowers the government to dissolve the council if it believes that the council or its office-bearers have failed in their duties or exceeded their powers. If corrective action is not taken within a reasonable time, the government can appoint registered medical practitioners to carry out the council's functions in its place. Dr Chawla said the council had shortlisted Dr Vijay Dhankar for the post of registrar on March 10 and submitted his name to the government. 'No response has been received from the government. At this point, the council is in dire need of filling the post. Due to the vacancy, the council is undergoing many financial and administrative crises,' he said. On May 8, HT reported on how the absence of an authorised signatory—the registrar—had paralysed the council, with ₹2.5 crore in payments stuck, including staff salaries and operational costs. A council member, who asked not to be named, said: 'We have been verbally told by officials in the Delhi health department that very soon the council will be dissolved, as the file has already been sent to the LG for approval.' The DMC, which is the only statutory body to handle complaints of medical negligence and professional misconduct in Delhi, comprises 25 members: eight elected by around 100,000 registered allopathic doctors in the city, one by the 20,000-member Delhi Medical Association, 10 by medical college faculties, four government nominees and two former officials. 'Dissolving the council would only mean that a democratically elected body is being fully replaced by government nominees,' a member said. Another member added, 'This move will also affect the public, as the DMC acts against hospitals in cases of negligence. Government control over such a body will also impact its ability to take fair action against city hospitals, most of which are owned by individuals with strong political ties.' Former council member Dr Arvind Chopra, who served from 2006 to 2016, also expressed concern. 'Since the inception of the DMC, the body has never been dissolved by the government, and the same should not happen now—especially when the DMC elections are scheduled to be held later this year in October–November,' he said.
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Delhi Medical Council in state of paralysis with ₹2.5 crore payments stuck
The Delhi Medical Council (DMC) is in a state of administrative and financial paralysis, with critical payments worth nearly ₹2.5 crore – for critical functions such as payment of rent, salaries, tax dues, among others – stuck due to the registrar's post lying vacant for over three months. The registrar, who also functions as the authorised signatory for all official transactions, has not been replaced since February 2025, leading to an escalating backlog of unpaid dues, officials said. A council meeting held on Tuesday acknowledged the crisis, noting that the lack of an interim or officiating registrar had frozen essential operations. Draft minutes of the meeting, accessed by HT, describe the situation as a 'critical administrative and financial paralysis.' According to Delhi Medical Council Act, 1997, the registrar who also functions as the authorised signatory for all official transactions and has the power to authorise payment disbursements. DMC is a statutory body responsible for regulating the practice of medicine in Delhi. Its functions include registering medical practitioners, maintaining a register of registered practitioners, and regulating their professional conduct. DMC's office is situated on IT Park Road in Metro Vihar on a property owned by DMRC. The backlog includes ₹30 lakh in unpaid Goods and Services Tax (GST) and ₹17 lakh in rent for April 1 (they have to pay three months' advance rent) owed to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). 'If the dues are not cleared, the council risks being charged 24% annual interest on delayed rent, with DMRC also demanding ₹72 lakh in overdue rent interest from 2019 to 2021,' a DMC member said on condition of anonymity. Employee salaries for March 2025, amounting to ₹15 lakh, are also pending, alongside ₹15 lakh owed for a Life Insurance Corporation policy covering leave encashment and gratuity. The deadline to file a GST appeal involving ₹55 lakh has lapsed, potentially inviting punitive action, the member cited above added. There are growing concerns about digital disruptions as well, DMC members said. Payments for internet lease charges due from April 28 remain pending. Additional dues listed in the meeting minutes include ₹23 lakh owed to a vendor, ₹7 lakh for an annual maintenance contract renewal, and ₹28.8 lakh earmarked for development-related expenses. The crisis began when the tenure of former registrar Dr Girish Tyagi ended in February. A council member told HT that as of now, DMC has recommended Dr Vijay Dhankar for the position and forwarded his name to the Delhi government for approval, but officials say they are still awaiting a response. Repeated attempts to obtain comments from Delhi government officials regarding the delay went unanswered.
