Delhi Medical Council elections on hold after doctors allege irregularities in State medical register

Speaking to The New Indian Express, a senior official from the Health Department said, "We have put the process on hold. Medical institutes have been asked to defer their internal election till further notice."

Last week, through a public notice, the medical practitioners were informed about the initiation of the election process, about the poll schedule, and the requirement for updating the State Medical Register. 

Meanwhile, the medical colleges were directed to conduct internal elections to choose faculty members who would represent them on the executive body of the delhi medical council.

However, objections regarding the polls were raised by a member of the dissolved executive council of the medical council, who highlighted procedural lapses in a written communication to the Delhi Government and the Lieutenant Governor. Soon afterwards, several senior doctors supported the objections. Following this, the medical institutes were asked not to proceed with their internal voting.

The main reason highlighted by the member of the dissolved council of Delhi Medical Council, Dr. Solanki, was that the medical colleges were instructed to elect their nominees for the executive body even though the SMR update- a crucial prerequisite- was still underway. The established procedure required the selection of college representatives is conducted only after the direct elections for eight popularly elected positions, in which all registered practitioners participate.

Dr. Solanki told TNIE, "Conducting any phase of the election process during an ongoing revision not only contravenes statutory requirements but also raises serious concerns about the fairness, legality and transparency of the election."

He further added that pre-selection of 14 members, including 10 college representatives and four government nominees, before the election of eight directly elected members would result in "a structurally biased and unfair election."

According to Dr. Solanki, the election process should not proceed before the findings of a committee proving alleged corruption in the council are made public.

He mentioned, "If the elections are conducted before the Enquiry Committee’s report is made public, and before those involved in corruption are shown their rightful place, then the very purpose of dissolving the DMC will stand defeated. Those who are neck-deep in corruption must be exposed before the entire medical fraternity."

The Delhi Medical Council is an autonomous statutory body enacted under the Delhi Medical Council Act 1997 to regulate the practice of the modern system of medicine in Delhi. DMC also ensures that private doctors in the city are following ethical practices. The council comprises 25 members, including eight elected by around 100,000 registered allopathic doctors in the city, one by the 20,000-member Delhi Medical Association, 10 by medical college faculties, four government nominees, and two former officials.