The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2018 which seeks constitution of a Board of Governors that will exercise the powers of the Medical Council of India (MCI) was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 31.

The Bill was introduced on December 14 in the Lok Sabha by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda which was earlier brought in as an ordinance on September 26 this year when the Parliament was not in session. Under the new amendment, the Bill provides for the supersession of the MCI for a period of one year. 

"In the interim period, the Central government will constitute a Board of Governors, which will exercise the powers of the MCI. The Bill allows for eminent administrators to be selected on the Board. Further, the Bill provides for the Board of Governors to be assisted by a Secretary-General appointed by the Central government," the bill says.

"Reputed doctors from pioneer institutions of the country have been brought for the constitution of the Board and it has been working under the Board's guidance," Nadda said in the Lok Sabha.

NITI Aayog member Dr V. K. Paul has been appointed the chairman of the board, which also includes AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria; PGIMER director Dr Jagat Ram; NIMHANS director Dr B.N. Gangadhar; Dr Nikhil Tandon, professor, department of endocrinology and metabolism, AIIMS; Dr S. Venkatesh, director general of health services, Health Ministry and Balram Bhargava, Secretary, department of health research and director general of Indian Council of Medical Research. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in its 92nd report in March 2016 had severely indicted the MCI.

The Committee recommended that the government should bring a new comprehensive Bill in Parliament at the earliest so as to restructure and revamp the regulatory system of medical education and medical practice and to reform the MCI.