The regulator of medical education, MCI (Medical Council of India) is itself in need of regulation.
What are the recent issues with MCI?
Medical education scams continue persistently under the MCI’s stewardship.
Earlier, a colonel of the Army Medical Corps was arrested for passing on sensitive information about inspections to a medical college in Pondicherry.
Recently, a former high court judge and his associates were arrested for agreeing to help an under-equipped college make the grade in court.
The volume of litigation that MCI faces concerning issues of policy, admission and examination suggests that the regulator is neither in command nor perceived to be so.
What are the shortfalls in this regard?
MCI has rightly imposed a uniform benchmark for admissions at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
But different syllabi set by states and the diverse languages they are taught in tilt the playing field.
While MCI is standardising entrance tests, it is failing to assure uniform, quality education for entrants who qualify.
Due to this, the implications for the health of the nation are sobering.
The lucrative promise that India holds as a destination for medical tourism and education stands compromised.
How can these be addressed?
The National Medical Commission Bill of 2016, trifurcate the functions of the MCI to reduce opportunities for corruption.
Transparent accreditation process guided by checks and balances conferring credibility should be its priority.
While it is progressive that the regulation of medical education has been handed over to the professionals instead of administrators, only a functional reform can strike at the root of corruption.
Merely replacing the MCI will not suffice; its successor must be armed with rules-based transparency.
