Even when the fraternity, which controls the powerful Medical Council of India (MCI), allows supply to expand, the MCI extracts rent through various official and unofficial mechanisms. This report pulls no punches in its assessment of the role of MCI and is scathing in its indictment of the role of the principal medical education regulator. Disallowing for-profit medical education has only driven profit-taking underground with medical education institutions siphoning off cash by employing various kinds of convoluted schemes and inventive fee structures. Niti Aayog has now taken a bold step by saying that profit should not be a dirty word in medical education. The near-absolute control of doctors and medical professionals over medical education in India is akin to industrialists controlling the commerce ministry’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion through a body like FICCI or Confederation of Indian Industry.

Source: Mint October 08, 2016 03:45 UTC