Delhi Medical Council polls halted over ‘irregularities’

Responding to the issue, the Delhi health minister said, “The election has been halted as there were some objections. However, we are certain that in the coming months the process of the election will be started.”

The Delhi government has announced a halt to the ongoing Delhi Medical Council (DMC) elections process till further notice, days after a public notice was issued informing the authorised body to start the poll process.

The order to begin the elections process was issued on November 19 (Representative photo)

“A group of doctors have raised objections to the elections, claiming there are irregularities with the election notification. Consequently, it is requested that the election of one member to the council may be withheld till further notice,” the notice, issued on November 26 but made public on Friday, read.

DMC was established to regulate the practice of doctors in Delhi by ensuring ethical conduct and registration of doctors. It is a 25-member statutory body reconstituted every five years. Eight members are elected directly by registered medical practitioners, one member is elected by the Delhi Medical Association, four are nominated by the Delhi government and ten are elected by faculty from ten medical colleges in the capital. Two ex-officio members represent the Directorate of Health Services.

The order to begin the elections process was issued on November 19.

“It is stated that in accordance with the provisions of the Delhi Medical Council Act, 1997 and the Delhi Medical Council Rules, 2003, the process of reconstitution of the Delhi Medical Council has been initiated. It is therefore requested that the Delhi Medical Association may kindly conduct and complete the election within thirty days and intimate the name of the elected member to the undersigned,” the notice, also seen by HT, mentioned.

Besides, resident doctors of government hospitals claim that due to the delay in elections, the DMC has been “paralysed” for several months, leaving doctors in limbo. Recently, the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of AIIMS, New Delhi, wrote to chief minister Rekha Gupta and health minister Pankaj Kumar Singh to address the issue.

In their letter, they claimed that hundreds of resident doctors posted at AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge Medical College and other government institutions have been unable to secure the mandatory DMC registration due to the council’s ongoing administrative paralysis.

On July 17 this year, lieutenant governor VK Saxena approved the dissolution of the DMC, citing serious allegations of irregularities and lapses. The next day, health minister Pankaj Singh issued formal orders to disband the council and reconstitute a new one within two months. After dissolving the body, the directorate general of health services Dr Vatsala Aggarwal was appointed as the interim registrar of the body.

Former members of the DMC called the delay in the election unfortunate. “Earlier in July, the government had stated that it would reconstitute the body within two months. But that has not happened yet. Now again, the elections have been postponed till further notice. This is only adding troubles for junior and resident doctors, which is unfortunate for them,” said a former member of the commission.

Responding to the issue, the Delhi health minister said, “The election has been halted as there were some objections. However, we are certain that in the coming months the process of the election will be started.”