Delhi govt seeks to dissolve medical council over alleged irregularities

If approved by the lieutenant governor (LG), this will be the first time that the council has been dissolved since its inception in 1998

The Delhi government has moved a proposal to dissolve the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), the statutory body that regulates medical practice in the Capital, amid allegations of mismanagement and irregularities in its functioning, people familiar with the matter said. If approved by the lieutenant governor (LG), this will be the first time that the council has been dissolved since its inception in 1998.

No response was received from the LG’s office despite multiple attempts to reach them for a comment on the matter.

HT has learnt that the health department has sent a file titled “Proposal for control of government over Delhi Medical Council under Section 29 of the DMC Act, 1997” to LG VK Saxena, recommending the council’s dissolution.

DMC is an autonomous statutory body whose primary role is to regulate the practice of doctors in Delhi and ensure ethical practices are followed by private doctors in the city for patient safety.

No response was received from the LG’s office despite multiple attempts to reach them for a comment on the matter.

A senior health department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “The file has recently been sent to the LG for approval to dissolve the council. Letters have been sent to the DMC in the past asking it to address systematic irregularities in its functioning, particularly regarding the undue extension of the former registrar’s tenure. The allegations of irregularities in managing the council will be investigated and a decision will be taken accordingly.”

No response was forthcoming from Delhi health minister Pankaj Singh despite repeated attempts to reach him.

Meanwhile, the development has raised concerns within the DMC, with several members calling the move politically motivated and an attempt to “control the body”.

On March 3, the Delhi government wrote to the council seeking an explanation for alleged malpractices, including the unlawful continuation of Dr Girish Tyagi as registrar, the disbursal of salary post retirement, and recruitment related irregularities.

The DMC’s acting president, Dr Naresh Chawla, said the council has repeatedly requested the government to appoint a registrar but received no response. “Now we fear that the government is likely to dissolve the council using its power under Section 29... It will be unfair to dissolve the DMC just a few months ahead of the council elections,” he told HT.

The DMC was established in September 1998 under the Delhi Medical Council Act, 1997. Section 29 of the Act empowers the government to dissolve the council if it believes that the council or its office-bearers have failed in their duties or exceeded their powers. If corrective action is not taken within a reasonable time, the government can appoint registered medical practitioners to carry out the council’s functions in its place.

Dr Chawla said the council had shortlisted Dr Vijay Dhankar for the post of registrar on March 10 and submitted his name to the government. “No response has been received from the government. At this point, the council is in dire need of filling the post. Due to the vacancy, the council is undergoing many financial and administrative crises,” he said.

On May 8, HT reported on how the absence of an authorised signatory—the registrar—had paralysed the council, with ₹2.5 crore in payments stuck, including staff salaries and operational costs.

A council member, who asked not to be named, said: “We have been verbally told by officials in the Delhi health department that very soon the council will be dissolved, as the file has already been sent to the LG for approval.”

The DMC, which is the only statutory body to handle complaints of medical negligence and professional misconduct in Delhi, comprises 25 members: 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.

“Dissolving the council would only mean that a democratically elected body is being fully replaced by government nominees,” a member said.

Another member added, “This move will also affect the public, as the DMC acts against hospitals in cases of negligence. Government control over such a body will also impact its ability to take fair action against city hospitals, most of which are owned by individuals with strong political ties.”

Former council member Dr Arvind Chopra, who served from 2006 to 2016, also expressed concern. “Since the inception of the DMC, the body has never been dissolved by the government, and the same should not happen now—especially when the DMC elections are scheduled to be held later this year in October–November,” he said.