The National Medical Commission (NMC) has begun the process of filling several key vacant positions, Chairperson Dr. Abhijat Sheth has confirmed.
As per the media reports, Dr. Sheth said that the posts of President of the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) and the Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB) remain vacant, along with a number of member and part-time member positions.
Earlier this year, Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel had informed Parliament that 19 posts across the NMC’s four autonomous boards were lying vacant. These included the presidents of the UGMEB, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), and the EMRB, as well as two whole-time and two part-time members each in the UG and PG boards, the MARB, and the Ethics Board.
Last month, Dr. Sheth a noted cardiothoracic surgeon and former President of the National Board of Examinations (NBE) was appointed as the new Chairperson of the NMC. Alongside his appointment, the vacancy in the MARB was also filled with the selection of Dr. M. K. Ramesh, former Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and ex-President of the NMC’s Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB).
However, several crucial posts are still unoccupied. Addressing concerns about how the commission will function without presidents and members in certain boards, Dr. Sheth explained:
As of now, the UG Board and the EMRB do not have presidents, and many member posts are also vacant. The process of filling them is already underway. In the meantime, the presidents of the PG Board, the MARB, and I, along with a strong administrative team, are ensuring that day-to-day operations are not affected and reforms continue as planned. We expect the remaining posts to be filled in the coming months, after which processes will become more streamlined.
