THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Armed with RTI queries, Dr Babu K V -- an ophthalmologist from Kannur -- has brought about a clean-up act at the National Medical Council, the apex regulator for medical education in the country. Bowing down to a year-long fight by Dr Babu, the National Medical Council (NMC) has started publishing the assets of its members for the first time since its inception in 2020.
The fight saw him approaching the Prime Minister’s Office to bring transparency and accountability to the regulatory body established to replace a corruption-riddled Medical Council Of India (MCI).
The NMC came into being after the government decided to disband the MCI following several complaints of corruption that put the country to shame. The regulator grants recognition to medical qualifications, gives accreditation to medical schools, grants registration to medical practitioners, monitors medical practice, and assesses the medical infrastructure in India.
Though the NMC statute mentioned that the chairperson and all members shall declare their assets at the time of joining and demitting office, the norm was not followed.
“I have sent eight RTI applications to the NMC and the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW). But none of them were answered. There were attempts to mislead the parliamentarians when this issue was raised in the House. They were effectively stonewalling my attempts,” Dr Babu said.
Having faced with stiff opposition, he approached the PMO, which directed the MoHFW for intervention last October. There was resistance even after the PMO intervention.
“They were ready to declare their assets to the ministry but were against putting it in the public domain. But they soon relented,” he said.
Before making the apex regulator comply with the statutory requirement, a chairman demitted office without declaring his assets. However, the current chairperson, two presidents and four whole-time members have made their asset declaration public.
Dr Babu said it was a good start in preventing the NMC from acquiring the troubled legacy of its predecessor.