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NMC: Exposing How It Is Failing Patients and Shielding Doctors

NMC: The National Medical Commission's systemic biases, lack of transparency, and regulatory failures leave patients without recourse while protecting doctors.

By Prema Sridevi
New Update
NMC favours doctors over patients

NMC: Exposing how it is failing patients and shielding doctors | Representative image | Courtesy: Special arrangement

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NMC, the National Medical Commission is a statutory body in India tasked with regulating medical education, medical professionals, institutes, and research. This commission replaced the Medical Council of India (MCI) in September 2020. The MCI, plagued by corruption and a host of other issues, had long been criticised for its inefficiencies and lack of transparency. The establishment of the NMC was seen as a necessary step to rectify these deep-rooted problems and usher in a new era of improved oversight and governance in India's medical field.

Sadly, the NMC could not erase the taint left by the MCI. In fact, the National Medical Commission has institutionalised the very wrong practices that the MCI used to conduct behind closed doors, but now it does so openly. Instead of acting in the best interests of the citizens, as mandated in its own mission statement, the Commission appears to be serving the interests of doctors and hospitals. 

Despite its lofty mission statement, the National Medical Commission has often fallen short of its professed goals. The Commission claims to ensure the availability of adequate and high-quality medical professionals in all parts of the country, promote equitable and universal healthcare, and encourage a community health perspective that makes medical services accessible to all citizens. It also pledges to encourage medical professionals to adopt the latest research in their work and contribute to ongoing studies. 

Additionally, the National Medical Commission promises to objectively assess medical institutions periodically in a transparent manner, enforce high ethical standards across all aspects of medical services, and maintain an effective grievance redressal mechanism.

However, in practice, the Commission frequently appears to deviate from these principles. Instead of upholding the public interest, the commission seems to prioritise the interests of medical practitioners and hospitals. This troubling reality suggests that the Commission, in performing its duties, often forgets its own mission statement, thus compromising its integrity and failing the citizens it was designed to serve.

Rules to Protect Patients or Negligent Doctors?

Here is a stark example of how the NMC's rules and regulations are negatively impacting the lives of patients on the ground. Uttam Chand Meena lost his wife, Gargi Meena, in 2018 due to alleged medical negligence. Gargi had a minor stomach pain and went to Saroj Super Speciality Hospital in Delhi for medication. However, instead of providing her with medicines, the hospital's doctors performed surgery on her, and she eventually died. Following Gargi Meena’s death, her husband, Uttam Chand Meena, has been tirelessly seeking justice for his wife, running from pillar to post in a desperate attempt to hold those responsible accountable.

Gargi Meena
Victim Gargi Meena moments before the surgery following which she passed away | Photo courtesy: Family

Uttam Chand Meena approached the Delhi Medical Council in 2019 regarding the negligence of the doctors. The DMC's 2021 order in this case clearly states that the doctor in question failed to exercise a reasonable degree of skill, care, and knowledge expected of a prudent doctor in managing the case. The order also highlights that the anaesthetist failed to exercise due diligence in record-keeping, and the physician was not diligent in the management of the patient.

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