MCI appoints IPS as secretary, sparks row
An IPS officer's appointment as secretary to the Medical Council of India (MCI), a monitoring body, has created a controversy in the medical fraternity.
Odisha cadre officer RP Meena is the third person to be appointed to the post in the past three years at the MCI, the sole statutory body that monitors medical colleges, affiliates new medical institutions and registers doctors.
Meena was director, central vigilance office, Union ministry of health.
"How can an IPS officer who has no medical education and minimum knowledge or experience in the field of medical education and research run such an important body?" a former executive member of the council from West Bengal asked.
MCI sources said Meena replaced Sanjay Sreevastava, who had resigned last week.
In 2010, the MCI was dissolved after corruption allegations surfaced, and the Union health ministry created the post of secretary.
IPS officer R P Meena appointed secretary of MCI
R P Meena, an IPS (Indian Police Service) officer of Odisha cadre, has been appointed as the new secretary of the Medical Council of India (MCI). Prior to this, Meena was director in the central vigilance office of the union health ministry.
Meena replaces Dr Sanjay Srivastava who quit due to alleged harassment from MCI board chairman Dr K K Talwar. Dr Talwar had faced similar accusations from Dr Srivastava’s predecessor, Dr Sangeeta Sharma who quit in March 2012.
Interestingly, Dr Sharma was removed on the ground that she did not fulfil eligibility criteria, especially that she did not have 15 years of medical teaching experience but now an IPS officer with no medical background has been given the top administrative post in the MCI.