Known for his shielding of the guilty and patronizing the capitation fee in private medical colleges, Dr Ketan Desai, President of the Medical Council of India, it seems is heading for another confrontation with the Ministry of Health. The bone of contention is not the reports about the scrapping of the Medical Council of India but the pick-and-choose mechanism of the MCI to shield the corrupt medical colleges while victimize the government run medical colleges which do not abide by his dictates. It is noteworthy here that Dr Desai and his protégés have been found in the board of trustees in many such colleges where capitation fee has been astronomical.
Moreover, Dr Ketan Desai under the scanner of the CBI for his alleged role in the capitation fee had also been in the news for his opposition with the former Health Minister A Ramdoss. Now bidding for the “Biggest Deal” of his life as the head of the World Medical Council, Dr Desai had yet again rubbing the union government the wrong way. Sources with the ministry suggest that the Union Minister of Health is extremely upset with the way Dr Ketan Desai recently leaked to the media as to how the ministry of health and family welfare has been holding back de-recognition of 10 medical colleges and ninety medical courses in various universities recommended by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The issue was raised in the Parliament too where the stand of the MCI was vehemently supported by the Arun Jeitley of the BJP. This is something that has not gone too well with the powers-to-be.
The list of these colleges and courses for de-recognition shows that some of the recommendations were made even way back in 1998 and 2002. However, the MoHFW was shown as simply sitting on the issue. However, what these documents fail to suggest is the fact that most of the medical colleges whose fate hangs in balance are actually government run colleges while some of the most corrupt private medical colleges have been given a clean chit
.
On repeated attempts, the MCI president kept away from reacting to any of the queries posed by the media. Their PR Agency too denied now working for them after some serious differences with the MCI. However, a senior official in the MCI, on the condition of anonymity, said: “The Health Ministry is still examining the recommendations since the track record of the MCI is not clean enough to be taken on their recommendations alone. Some of the representations have been made by these colleges and there was no merit found in the allegations of the MCI. Other colleges have also been asked to present their case so that a neutral view could be taken.”
He said that the state governments, the concerned university and the medical colleges are consulted and given ample opportunity before any decision is taken in the matter. Out of these 10 medical colleges recommended for de-recognition, six are government-run colleges. In the list, five are from Madhya Pradesh, three from Karnataka and one each from Uttar Pradesh and
MCI, which is a statutory body regulating medical colleges, affiliation, new colleges, and doctors registration, also inspects the colleges in order to maintain the standard of medical education and health services in the country. Those colleges which are found not adhering the requirements as per MCI regulations are recommended to ministry of health and family welfare for withdrawal of recognition under section 19 of Medical Council Act. According to the Council, when upon reported by a visiting team that the staff, equipment accommodation, training and other facilities for instruction and training provided in such medical institution do not conform to the standards prescribed by MCI, it can make a representation for de-recognition in that reference.
The Ministry of Health then send it to the concerned State Government, which forward it along with such remarks as it may choose, with an intimation of the period within which the institution has to submit its explanation to the State Government. On the receipt of the explanation or, where no explanation is submitted within the period fixed, then on the expiry of that period, the State Government shall make its recommendations to the Central Government. The Central Government, after making such further inquiry, if any, as it may think fit, may by notification in the official Gazette, direct that an entry shall be made in the appropriate Schedule against the said medical qualification declaring that it shall be a recognised medical qualification, only when granted before a specified date.
