Left in the lurch after MMC poll suspension, doctors slam govt for mismanagement

Doctors continued arriving at polling booths till 3pm in some places, unaware that the apex court had rebuked the government and ordered voting to be halted

Mumbai: Hundreds of doctors across Maharashtra who adjusted critical surgeries and OPD schedules to vote in the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) elections on Thursday were left disillusioned after the Supreme Court abruptly stayed the process mid-morning. The court flagged the ineligibility of the returning officer and slammed the state government for misinterpreting its earlier directive, calling the ongoing election process flawed and procedurally invalid.

In Mumbai, only two polling centres were set up, at JJ Hospital (above) and Vakola (ht)

Despite the apex court’s oral observations on Wednesday evening – allowing the appointment of a new returning officer but implying the polling process must restart from scratch – polling went ahead as scheduled on Thursday. It commenced at 8am and doctors continued arriving at polling booths till 3pm in some places, unaware that the apex court had rebuked the government and ordered voting to be halted.

In Mumbai, only two polling centres were set up, at JJ Hospital and Vakola, forcing doctors to travel long distances during working hours.

“I travelled 20 km from Borivali (to JJ Hospital), skipping my OPD, only to later learn that the entire process was legally uncertain,” said a senior doctor, requesting anonymity. “This wasn’t just premature – it was mismanaged.”

“It is really frustrating that the government didn’t even know the basic eligibility criteria for appointing a returning officer, which a petitioner knew and flagged,” said Dr Deepak Baid, former president of the Association of Medical Consultants (AMC). “There must be accountability. This kind of chaos will only discourage doctors from turning up to vote in future.”

The Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), a quasi-governmental, quasi-judicial body, is tasked with upholding ethical medical standards, issuing licences, and addressing complaints against doctors. The current election is significant because nine elected members will hold office for five years, influencing decisions that directly affect both doctors and patients.

The council has been functioning under an administrator since the previous elected body’s term concluded during the Covid-19 pandemic. During the previous election in 2016, the turnout was a mere 18%. Dr Baid feared that Thursday’s misstep would lead to even lower participation in the rescheduled poll.

Dr Sudhir Naik, former president of AMC who had moved the Bombay high court over conduct of the elections, said, “Doctors rescheduled surgeries, travelled long distances, and waited in queues, only to discover that the election itself was legally questionable...It’s a betrayal of the profession’s trust in the system.”

“We want a strong, fair, and representative council, not one elected through an exclusionary and flawed process,” Dr Naik said.