No Registrar! MBBS Internships, Doctors Registration Delayed at Delhi Medical Council

New Delhi: The Delhi Medical Council (DMC) is dealing with administrative chaos as due to the absence of its Registrar, the process of doctors' registration and commencement of MBBS internship are getting delayed.

Resultantly, a significant number of doctors are unable to complete the required procedures to start or continue their careers, The New Indian Express has reported.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Delhi Government sought clarifications from the Council regarding the allegations raised against DMC President Dr Arun Gupta, Vice-President Dr. Naresh Chawla. After the Delhi Health and Family Welfare Department issued a show-cause notice to the Delhi Medical Council and threatened to take disciplinary action under the Delhi Medical Council Act 1997 including the dissolution of the Council, the Registrar resigned from his post.

Also Read: Delhi Medical Council in Hot Seat! Govt Demands Clarifications on alleged Violations

Now, as the post of DMC Registrar is vacant, the registration of MBBS graduates are getting delayed and they are unable to obtain the registration required to begin their practice. Apart from this, medical students from other States wishing to practice in Delhi are also stuck as they can't receive the permanent registration required to work in the National Capital. Further, the undergraduate medical students are facing problems in getting their provisional certificates and resultantly, the commencement of their internship is also getting delayed. 

Explaining the situation, Health Activist Dr. Dhruv Chauhan told Medical Dialogues, "Doctors' registrations have been halted and new doctors cannot get any official DMC related work done for months now."

"I have talked various officials in and outside DMC and none of the are aware when the new registrar will be appointed or the registration process will start since this comes under the Delhi CM and Delhi HM who have not responded yet. This is for the first time this insufficiency has been observed by Delhi Medical Council," he added.

Doctors, who seek a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to either migrate out of Delhi or pursue further studies abroad are also facing the consequences of the post of DMC registrar being vacant as they are unable to proceed without the council's approval.

A recent graduate from NDMC Medical College, Dr. Vrishank Gupta, who also got affected due to this, told The New Indian Express, that despite completing the verification process he still has not received his permanent registration.

"I completed all my paperwork and verification earlier, but still haven’t received my permanent registration. Without it, I can’t join my junior residency, and I won’t be able to practice even if I find a job," he said.

Dr. Naresh Chawla, Vice-President of the DMC, acknowledged the growing crisis and revealed that around 300 to 400 applications for registration and NOCs are currently pending. He told The New Indian Express, "We receive numerous applications daily, and they can only be processed by the Registrar. Without someone in that role, the council is unable to function properly."

According to Dr. Chawla Government is responsible for the delay in the appointment. He added, "We submitted a list of potential candidates for the Registrar position earlier this month, but the government has yet to make a decision. At least they should appoint someone temporarily to ensure the DMC’s operations don’t come to a complete halt."

Commenting on the matter, the Chief Patron of the Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA), Dr. Rohan Krishnan referred to political interference and told Medical Dialogues, "A lot of doctors are facing problems because of the non functioning of the Delhi Medical Council."

"It is very sad to see that young doctors who are supposed to get registrations are unable to do that. Their provisional registration is due, their internship is getting delayed," he mentioned, further adding that "Those who want to shift to other countries or outside Delhi are unable to get NOC and good standing certificate from Delhi Medical Council."

"Every work is right now being hampered because of the non functioning of the Delhi Medical council," said Dr. Krishnan.

"We request the government to take steps to reconstitute the council and immediate election of the elected members and immediate nomination of the nominated members should be done. Those who are members right now in the council should be removed from the council immediately," he said.

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