Delhi seeks to dissolve med council

Issues at stake

- Ridhima Gupta

NEW DELHI: 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.

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.

The 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.

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.