Nineteen key medical commission positions remain unfilled

Nineteen important positions at the National Medical Commission (NMC) are currently vacant, including the roles of president for key boards. This information was shared recently in the Rajya Sabha, a part of India's Parliament. The vacancies are in four autonomous boards of the NMC, which oversees medical education and professionals. These boards are the Under Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB), the Post Graduate Medical Education Board, the Medical Assessment & Rating Board (MARB), and the Ethics & Medical Registration Board (EMRB). The Centre's reply came after a question from Rashtriya Janta Dal MP Amarendra Dhari Singh. The government noted it published advertisements in national newspapers last year seeking applications to fill these vacant roles. Currently, the NMC has 33 members, with Dr. BN Gangadhar serving as the full-time chairman since July 2024. The NMC was established in 2020 after the previous Medical Council of India was disbanded due to serious corruption issues. Experts, like Dr. Satendra Singh from the University College of Medical Sciences, have criticized the situation. He stated that the NMC is facing legal challenges and is unable to effectively implement important court rulings due to these vacancies, which harms the quality of medical education in India.