SC-MEDICAL 2 LAST

Earlier, a Constitution Bench had invoked extraordinary Earlier, a Constitution Bench had invoked extraordinarypowers under Article 142 of the Constitution while orderingthe setting up of the three-member oversight panel to overseethe functioning of the MCI for at least a year. The verdict had endorsed a Parliamentary StandingCommittee report that medical education and profession in thecountry was at its "lowest ebb" and suffering from "totalsystem failure" due to corruption. Besides former CJI Lodha, the panel comprised ProfessorShiv Sareen (Director, Institute of Liver and BiliarySciences) and former CAG Vinod Rai. The plea alleged that the panel had overshot MCI and theHealth Ministry’s disapproval of hundreds of applications madeby medical colleges without conducting any "fresh" inspectionor assessment. It claimed that the panel, in August, granted recognitionand allowed colleges to increase student intake and evenextended the time schedule for colleges to remove deficienciesbased on which MCI had recommended disapproval of theirapplications. "The impugned decisions of Respondent No 3 (LodhaCommittee) have the effect of compromising the standards inmedical education and training in India and shall have anadverse influence on the career interests of studentsundertaking the undergraduate and post-graduate courses in thefield of health and medicine," it said. The petition said MCI had processed several proposalsfrom medical colleges – varying from establishment of newmedical colleges to renewal of permissions to increase inseats to grant of recognition to medicine courses for 2016-17. Of this around 150 proposals for new undergraduatecourses and 118 for super-specialty courses for 2016-17 weredisapproved by the ministry on the recommendations of MCIafter independent verifications had found several deficienciesin the colleges. The petition said the Committee, on August 12 and 13,approved a "majority" of applications by medical collegesseeking renewal of permission for 2016-17, grant ofrecognition for undergraduate courses and increase in intakefor 2016-17. PTI SJK MNL RKSARC