Mumbai: Ahead of the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) elections, 70,000 doctors have been deemed ineligible to vote due to lapsed registrations. The MMC, a quasi-judicial body overseeing medical education and ethics in the state, requires doctors to renew their registration to maintain voting rights.

According to a senior MMC official, the council had nearly 2,00,000 registered doctors, but only 1,31,000 have renewed their registration. “Only doctors who have renewed their registration are eligible to vote in the forthcoming elections on April 3,” the official stated.

However, the official explained that most doctors who have not renewed their registration are those who have migrated out of the state or country.

“Migration is very high among doctors. Most have either left Maharashtra or moved abroad. If they have registered in another state, they cannot renew their registration with us,” the official added.

The MMC regulates medical education and ethics for registered doctors in Maharashtra and processes approximately 9,000 new registrations annually. Since the council was dissolved, there has been a backlog of medical negligence cases and delays in routine functions. Currently, nearly 500 medical negligence cases are pending hearings.

The delay in Continuing Medical Education (CME) approvals has also caused logistical challenges, with organisers often receiving permissions just 24-48 hours before events. Additionally, doctors seeking no-objection certificates to relocate to other states or countries have faced delays.

“The MMC elections are a crucial step toward restoring efficiency and addressing the backlog of pending cases,” a former MMC member stated.

The 18-member MMC has been without a committee since August 7, 2022, when its previous term expired. Dr Pallavi Saple, Dean of Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, was appointed as administrator for a year following the dissolution. After her term ended on October 9, 2023, the additional charge was handed over to Dr Dilip Mhaisekar, director of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).

Subsequently, Dr Vinky Rughwani, former MMC vice president, was appointed as administrator and expedited the council’s registration services.