AP constitutes 6-member Interim Medical Council
Doctors
Vijayawada: After a prolonged wait, the State government has officially constituted a six-member interim Medical Council through Government Order G.O. RT No. 162, issued on Monday. The formation of the council has been a long-standing demand, especially from Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG), who have been pushing for its creation.
For over 10 months, since the TDP-led NDA government assumed office, the state had been operating without a medical council. Normally, the A.P. Medical Council consists of around 25 members, including both nominated and elected representatives. The absence of a regulatory body had created uncertainty for medical professionals, particularly in matters of registration and professional oversight, reports The Hindu.
According to the latest order, the newly established interim Medical Council falls under the State Medical Council as per Section 3(2)(c) of the A.P. Medical Practitioners Registration Act, 1986. It will function until a full-fledged A.P. Medical Council is formally constituted. Health Special Chief Secretary M.T. Krishna Babu stated that the appointed members would soon select a chairperson from among themselves.
The council comprises Dr. Gogineni Sujatha, MD (Pulmonology) and Professor at Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Foundation, Vijayawada; Dr. Kalavakollu Venkata Subba Naidu, Professor of Pulmonology from Ongole; Dr. Daggumati Srihari Rao, a Radiologist and former Vice-Chairman of APSMC, Tirupati; Dr. Swarma Geetha, a Gynecologist from Podili, Prakasam district; Dr. S. Kesava Rao Babu, President of IMA, Vijayawada; and Dr. Chunduri Malliswari, a Doctor of Medicine from Bhimavaram, reports the Daily.
With the formation of the interim council, the government aims to restore regulatory oversight in the medical sector and address the concerns of medical professionals, especially those seeking registration and recognition for their qualifications.
The foreign medical graduates in Andhra Pradesh previously held a peaceful and silent protest in front of the State Medical Council. It was alleged that the students were being asked to undergo 2-3 years of internship, even though they went back to their parent institutes and were compensated for their online classes.
