State medical council to clear 450 pending cases

The Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has decided to clear all the cases that have pending for over 12 years. Around 450 cases are still pending before the MMC.

The MMC has sent a letter to all the applicants asking whether they are interested in fighting the case. The applicants have been asked to reply within a month. The MMC hold its first meeting on Saturday after 12 years.

The MMC investigates medical negligence cases.  The council will now have the right to suspend a doctors’ licence, sometimes for life, depending on the nature of the offense.

Apart from resolving these cases, the MMC has decided to write letters to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research ( DMER ), director of health Services and civic body bodies asking them to inform it of doctors found guilty of violation of Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex selection) Act -1994 (PCPNDT act).

If the doctors are found guilty, the MMC will take harsh action against them. “We’ll suspend their licenses for five year. If found guilty for the second time, we’ll suspend the license permanently,” said an official.

“To speed up the work,  we are writing letters to the applicants who had filed medical negligence cases. Since the body is not functional for the last 12 years,  we just want to know if the applicants are still interested to fight the cases. We have asked them to reply within a month,” said Dr Kishor Taori, president of the MMC.