The Bihar Council of Medical Registration has more power now to address negligence.

The Medical Council of India recently empowered it to take suo motu cognisance of media reports or infor- mation from any other source regarding any kind of medical negligence and initiate action against errant doctors.

The Bihar Council of Medical Registration has received a letter from the Medical Council of India in this regard. Earlier, it could take action against a doctor only after receiving written complaints.

Dr Sunil Kumar Singh, a member of the ethical committee of the Bihar Council of Medical Registration, told The Telegraph on Monday: “It is a landmark decision of the Medical Council of India.”

The Bihar Council of Medical Registration can take disciplinary action against doctors for suggesting unnecessary investigations, illegal abortions and nexus with drugs manufacturers among others.

Some doctors of the city criticised the Medical Council of India’s move to give more power to the Bihar Council of Medical Registration.

Padma Shri recipient and noted neuro physician Dr Gopal Prasad Sinha said: “The Bihar Council of Medical Registration has no authority to take action against the doctors, nor Medical Council of India enjoys this power.”

He said: “Around 95 per cent of the cases of medical negligence turns out to be fake. In my opinion, the Bihar Council of Medical Registration should conduct proper inquiry before making any opinion about a doctor.”

Surgeon Dr A.A. Hai said neither the Medical Council of India, nor the Bihar Council of Medical Registration was equipped to take the right decision in the medical negligence cases.

“We need a strong Medical Council of India and Bihar Council of Medical Registration. Only then we can hope fair probe would be conducted into the cases of medical negligence. At present, both the bodies are very weak and I don’t think that they can do justice to the cases. I also don’t find the directive of the Medical Council of India right. How can action be initiated in a case if no written complaint is registered? The Bihar Council of Medical Registration and other state-level medical bodies might get wrong information about the cases of medical negligence. If they take suo motu cognisance of such cases, they might end up doing injustice,” said Hai.

Gynaecologist Dr Manju Gita Mishra also supported the old system when action could be taken against a doctor by the Bihar Council of Medical Registration only after receiving a written complaint and conducting due investigation into the allegation.