NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC), which regulates medical education and professionals, is yet to fill key positions vacant for several months, reveals a reply to an RTI application.In the reply given on October 24, the Union health ministry said the “appointment to various posts in NMC is under process.” RTI activist KV Babu, who filed the application on the NMC appointments delay, said the ministry gave the same reply in January this year. Out of the 19 positions, 10 are vacant, including that of the president of two autonomous bodies, the ministry said, adding applications have been invited to fill the posts.NMC, an autonomous body, has 33 members. Chairman Dr BN Gangadhar was appointed full-time in July after working as an officiating head since September last year. Apart from working as the officiating head, he also held the position of president of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), which determines the procedure for rating medical institutions, carries out inspections, and grants permission to new medical institutions. While the MARB has a president and a part-time member, the other four positions need to be filled.Two of the five positions in the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB), which determines the standards of medical education at the postgraduate and super-specialty levels, are vacant. Three out of five positions are vacant in the Undergraduate Medical Education Board. At present, it does not have a president and is run by two part-time members. The Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) maintains national registers of all licensed medical practitioners, regulates their professional conduct, and promotes medical ethics. Of the five members of EMRB, three positions are vacant, including its president. Kerala-based Babu said the ministry took more than a year to make some appointments. “Vacant positions that had to be filled in 2023 were filled this year,” he said, adding the ministry invited applications for various posts in August, though the terms of many members were about to end on September 25.
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