The Hindu : New Delhi News : Stick prescribed for erring medical teachers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 31, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Stick prescribed for erring medical teachers

By Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI, JAN. 30. For the first time since its inception, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has recommended "large-scale" punishment of erring medical teachers across the country and asked for their names be removed from the Indian Medical Register maintained by it.

In a list submitted by the MCI late last year, a total number of 65-medical teachers were blacklisted for being found to be employed in more than one medical college at the same time. While a large number of medical teachers are from the Andhra Medical Council, the list has teachers from Tamil Nadu Medical Council, Hyderabad State Medical Council, Orissa Medical Council, Maharashtra Medical Council, Karnataka Medical Council and Tranvancore Medical Council.

And while this is the largest number of medical teachers to be ever `blacklisted', MCI officials claim that the drive is still on and more names would be added to the list soon.

Meanwhile, for the listed medical teachers, their names will be erased temporarily up to July 31, 2007, and they will not be eligible to be counted as a teacher at the inspections to be carried out by MCI for the academic years 2005-06 and 2006-07. The names of all such teachers will be published on the website and a circular sent to all the Directorate of Medical Education of all the States, all the Universities and all the Medical Colleges and Institutions.

"Over a period of on to two years falling back on the inspection reports of various medical colleges seeking permissions/renewals, it was felt and observed that a large number of doctors were claiming employment as medical teachers in more than one medical college at the same time. It was also observed that the names of the doctors shown as medical teachers in a particular medical college were getting repeated in the inspection reports of certain other medical colleges in the same proximity of time," a MCI official said.

He added that the worst part about the practice was that ultimately it is the innocent students who get admissions into such medical colleges where the minimum required number of medical teachers are shown in such a dubious manner that they suffer. Further it passes onto patients who may be treated by such half-baked students who would not get their exposure and training with the `small' number of medical teachers available to them.

To curb such unscrupulous tendencies, MCI claims to be taking stringent action including introduction of the `declaration forms' to be signed by doctors, claiming employment as medical teachers in any given medical colleges and that they also remain present with their declaration forms at the time of the conduct of the inspection of that college.

Also, provision for endorsement by the dean/principal of the medical college is also introduced in the declaration form to make this requirement more effective.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi