The Centre has appointed Dr Abhijat Sheth as the new chairperson of the National Medical Commission (NMC), the country’s top medical education regulatory body.
Dr Sheth, who is currently the head of the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), oversees the entrance exams for postgraduate and super-specialisation medical courses.
Sheth brings extensive clinical and administrative expertise from both India and the UK. In his statement, he highlighted his key priorities, saying, “My main focus is to elevate the quality of education, improve accessibility, and work towards good governance and teamwork to fulfill the government’s goals.”
Although Dr Sheth has been appointed, he has yet to officially take over the role from Dr. B N Gangadhar, who resigned from his position in October. Dr Gangadhar had previously served as the director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans), Bengaluru.
Dr Gangadhar, however, has continued in the role since his resignation was not accepted, as a suitable replacement could not be found at that time. Dr Gangadhar’s tenure was marked by attempts to improve transparency and consistency in medical education. His initiatives included the grading of medical colleges, the accreditation of institutions by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), the adoption of a revised Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum, and the development of a more streamlined regulatory framework. He also promoted the use of the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) to monitor faculty attendance in real-time and advocated for patient safety training at the undergraduate level.
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