Globalising the rot within?

Dr Pandya in his hard-hitting commentary, “Medical Council of India: the rot within” (1), characterises the problems plaguing the council. The Medical Council of India (MCI) is entrusted with supervising the quality of medical education in the country and promoting medical ethics; but such has been the disrepute of the MCI, due to allegations of favouritism and corruption, that the central government has now finalised a draft bill to replace the MCI and other councils (such as the Dental Council of India, the Indian Nursing Council and the Pharmacy Council) with a National Council for Human Resource in Health (2). The draft bill is available on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website (3). The current system of working through the various councils which have been characterised as “dens of corruption”(4) definitely needs an overhaul. It still remains to be seen if the establishment of the national council, an autonomous body, will bring in much needed reform in the regulation of professional health education in the country.

Dr Pandya has listed in detail allegations of impropriety against the various officials associated with the MCI. Dr Ketan Desai, the current president of the MCI, has had several concerns raised about his conduct and the receipt of large amounts of funds in the past. In its recent general assembly, held at New Delhi from October 14 to 17, 2009, the World Medical Association elected Dr Ketan Desai, unopposed, as president of the WMA for the term 2010-11 (5). The WMA on its website states: “As an organization promoting the highest possible standards of medical ethics, the WMA provides ethical guidance to physicians through its Declarations, Resolutions and Statements.” (6) It is surprising that in spite of the past questionable history of Dr Desai, the WMA, as the torch-bearer of ethical conduct by physicians, still chose to elect him. This makes one wonder if we are now globalising the rot within.