Scrap postal ballot for Medical Council of India polls to check corruption
Doctors from the state have raised questions at the way the sensitive medical elections are conducted by the central Medical Council of India (MCI). A senior doctor said on the condition of anonymity, "This election should be conducted like general elections. In the ballot by post currently in practice, the chances of corruption are huge. So they should correct the system immediately to maintain transparency."Five doctors from the state are in the fray to bag the post of MCI member, the ballot for which opened on March 9. Around 87,000 doctors from across the state who are registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council are eligible to vote and they can post their ballot to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) till April 9.
Doctors from the state have raised questions at the way the sensitive medical elections are conducted by the central Medical Council of India (MCI). A senior doctor said on the condition of anonymity, "This election should be conducted like general elections. In the ballot by post currently in practice, the chances of corruption are huge. So they should correct the system immediately to maintain transparency."Five doctors from the state are in the fray to bag the post of MCI member, the ballot for which opened on March 9. Around 87,000 doctors from across the state who are registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council are eligible to vote and they can post their ballot to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) till April 9.
The election had been delayed by a year; it was expected to be conducted in 2014.
Every state has representation in the MCI. The elected representatives raise issues that doctors in their state face. They are also supposed to work for maintaining standards of medical practice and education. "MCI elected members have a right to suggest changes to the current medical education syllabus. This is a high-power council in the country's medical education system. So it's a very important election for the doctors fraternity," said, Dr Shivkumar Utture, member, Maharashtra Medical Council.
Drs Nagsen Ramraje, Ashok Aadhav, Girish Maindarkar, Tushar Jagtap and Jagiasi Bawa are the five candidates contesting the polls.Dr Anil Pachnekar, chairman, action committee, Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra, said, "This election is key because the doctor who will be elected from the state will work for the welfare of the medical fraternity. This person will represent the state doctors, raise their grievances in MCI and resolve the issues."
MCI is a statutory body with the responsibility of establishing and maintaining high standards of medical education and recognition of medical qualifications in India. It registers doctors who can practice in India in order to protect and promote the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine.