Mumbai: The upcoming Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) elections, scheduled for April 3, will see approximately 70,000 doctors excluded from voting due to lapsed registrations. The MMC, which oversees the medical profession in Maharashtra, currently has 2 lakh members, but nearly a third of them failed to renew their registrations in time.
The MMC is responsible for regulating the medical fraternity, with the authority to suspend or revoke licenses in cases of malpractice or negligence. As a result, these doctors will not be eligible to participate in the upcoming elections for the council.
Doctors’ Concerns: Several doctors, including those in the ‘Healing Hand’s Unity Panel’, are urging the MMC to allow renewal of registrations so they can vote and participate in the election process. They argue that this situation could have been avoided had the MMC adopted a more proactive approach, similar to the Election Commission of India‘s regular drives for voter registration updates.
Dr. Tushar Jagtap, a representative of the panel, criticized the council’s lackadaisical attitude toward ensuring all eligible doctors are part of the voting process. The panel even lodged a formal complaint with the MMC registrar, accusing the body of “gross dereliction of duties” in the lead-up to the election.
The panel’s request also includes waiving the requirement for renewal of registration for participation in the election, emphasizing that the democratic right of these 70,000 doctors should not be denied.
MMC Response: In defense, MMC officials stated that regular reminders were sent to doctors whose memberships had lapsed. They also clarified that nomination papers would only be made available once the final list of candidates was prepared and scrutinized, which was completed by January 31. The papers should be available shortly.
