NMC boards lie vacant as it directs states to deal with teacher vacancies | India News
In a sheer irony, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has been asked to direct state governments to fill up a large number of vacant posts in the Medical Teaching Service within a specified period, while three-quarters of the posts in the four autonomous boards of the NMC are lying vacant.The Board of Undergraduate Medical Education, the Board of Postgraduate Medical Education and the Board of Ethics and Medical Registration each have only one part-time member. Each of their boards should have five members including a chairman. Only the Medical Assessment and Rating Board has a chairman and a part-time member, while the remaining three posts are vacant.When contacted, NMC Chairperson Dr Abhijit Seth confirmed that the process of filling vacancies on the boards was currently under the government’s consideration, telling TOI that the NMC was fully functional, with 28 members out of 33 currently. “All statutory requirements, including quorum, are being duly met, and the functioning of the commission and its boards is not being affected,” he said.“Policy-level decisions continue to be taken at the commission level. For matters relating to autonomous boards, the chairman is empowered under the Act to constitute expert committees, and all functions are being performed through these duly constituted processes,” said Dr Sheth.Even as NMC boards grapple with vacancies, the commission has been asked by the Patna High Court to direct states to fill education vacancies within six months. The court asked the NMC to “take appropriate steps to direct the State Government to initiate a recruitment/recruitment drive to fill up a large number of vacant posts in the Medical Teaching Service within a specified period.” The court was hearing a plea challenging the Aadhaar-enabled biometric attendance system in medical colleges.Complying with the order, the NMC directed all states and union territories to take necessary steps.
