Full Asset, Financial Disclosures to be made by National Medical Commission members

Caesar's wife must be above suspicion

New Delhi: To avoid burning its hands on the fire of corruption, and to instill transparency in the new proposed medical regulator, the Parliamentary panel constituted to propose changes to the National Medical Commission Bill has clearly stated all the members of the proposed National Medical Commission will have to make full disclosures about the financial health on the NMC Website. These would range from professional and commercial involvements to their personal assets and assets of their dependents at the time of assuming office as well as the end of their tenure

The committee at the initiation of the report observed that the deteriorating standard of medical education and research in India, an acute shortage of health care providers, especially in rural areas and frequent allegations of fraudulent practices, corruption, and nepotism in the medical education system have led to an increasing criticism of the functioning of the MCI. The idea that the Medical Council of India has outlived its utility and must either be reformed or replaced has gained momentum. To avoid the same fate for the coming National Medical Commission in the long run, the committee recommended a way to instill transparency into the system by first ensuring that all members of NMC make full disclosures

While giving point-by-point observations as well as recommendations on the changes that are to be made in the National Medical Commission Bill, the Rajya Sabha Committee also made some important general observations and recommendation to be incorporated in the bill. The first general observation made by the committee stated that all members of NMC will have to mandatorily declare their professional and commercial involvements along with their assets on the website of NMC both when they assume office and at the end of tenure

The Committee observes that there had been a loss of credibility of the existing regulatory body i.e MCI. The Committee, therefore, recommends that all the Members of the National Medical Commission be required to mandatorily declare their professional and commercial involvements and should also declare their personal assets along with assets of their dependents on the website of NMC as and when they assume office and at the end of their tenure.