HYDERABAD: The recent nomination of eight health department officials as ex-officio members of the Telangana Medical Council (TGMC) has drawn sharp criticism from the medical fraternity in the state.
As per GO 229 issued by Health Secretary Christina Z Chongthu on December 22, the eight officers nominated are the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare; Director of Medical Education (DME); Director of Public Health and Family Welfare (DoPH); Commissioner of Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (TVVP); Vice-Chancellor of KNR University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS); Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Aarogyasri Healthcare Trust; a Special/Additional/Joint/Deputy Secretary to the government; and the Director of NIMS, as ex-officio members of the TGMC.
The members were nominated under clause (d) of sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the Telangana Medical Practitioners Registration Act, 1968.
The TGMC stated that the Act provides for the nomination of only four ex-officio members and one officer to the Council. However, the government has exceeded this provision.
TGMC Vice-Chairman Dr Gundagani Srinivas told TNIE that the Council comprises 25 members, of whom 13 are elected, six are government nominees, two are from KNRUHS, and four are ex-officio members from the government—namely the DME, DoPH, TVVP Commissioner and the KNRUHS Vice-Chancellor. “As per the Act, there is a provision to nominate only four ex-officio members and one officer.
There is no provision to nominate four additional members. The addition has increased the Council’s strength to 29. Further, all Council members should be doctors, whereas the Special or Joint Secretary and Aarogyasri CEO Uday Kumar, nominated under the GO, are not doctors by qualification,” he said, adding that increasing the number of ex-officio members was aimed at diluting the autonomy of a statutory medical council through bureaucratic dominance.