Delhi Medical Council Dissolution Creates Accountability Vacuum, Thousands of Complaints Stalled
The dissolution of the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) in June 2025 has plunged the capital's medical grievance redressal system into chaos, leaving approximately 1,800 to 2,000 complaints against medical practitioners in indefinite limbo. Established in 1998 under the Delhi Medical Council Act, 1997, the statutory body was mandated to investigate allegations of medical negligence and professional misconduct while maintaining ethical standards among registered practitioners.
Patient Ordeal Highlights Systemic Failure
Madan Gautam, a 35-year-old bank employee, exemplifies the human cost of this regulatory collapse. After losing his newborn daughter in March 2024 due to alleged medical negligence at a private hospital, Gautam discovered through RTI responses that the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit was operating with three times its licensed capacity. "My wife is suffering from depression and undergoing psychiatric treatment," Gautam revealed, describing the devastating mental toll of both the tragedy and the subsequent bureaucratic paralysis.
His complaint, initially filed with the Director General of Health Services and forwarded to the DMC, was eventually redirected to Indira Gandhi Hospital after the council's dissolution. Despite receiving a December 2025 letter promising investigation, no substantive inquiry has materialized in over two months, leaving Gautam among thousands trapped in administrative purgatory.
Dissolution and Ongoing Controversies
Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena dissolved the DMC on June 17, 2025, citing serious administrative and financial irregularities. While two ex-officio members were permitted to continue temporarily and the DGHS was appointed interim registrar, the council remains unreconstituted despite directives to complete this process within two months.
The situation worsened in December 2025 when a special audit was ordered to investigate allegations that the DMC collected approximately ₹28 crore without proper financial oversight. This audit committee will also examine whether recoveries can be made from Dr. Girish Tyagi, former acting registrar who previously served as both president and vice-president. Dr. Tyagi has challenged his removal through Delhi High Court proceedings, leaving the matter sub judice.
Functional Paralysis and Administrative Gaps
The core functions of the DMC—including maintaining updated medical registers, enforcing ethical codes, investigating malpractice, and disciplining practitioners through reprimands, suspensions, or compensation awards—have effectively ceased. Dr. Ajay Gambhir, former DMC executive member, warned that without functioning executive and disciplinary committees comprising medical professionals, legal experts, and community representatives, complaints face extreme delays with no clear accountability.
"The acting registrar is the DGHS, who is already overwhelmed with administrative tasks like registrations and certifications," Dr. Gambhir explained. "Regulatory functions have taken a backseat. Appointing a full-time medical professional as registrar, as done in Maharashtra and Haryana, would have been more appropriate."
Improvised Mechanisms Prove Inadequate
Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh claims that committees continue examining negligence complaints during the interim period, urging patients to write directly to his office for emergency cases. However, Dr. Pankaj Solanki, former DMC member, highlighted critical flaws in this stopgap approach.
"Complaints are transferred to local hospitals forming expert committees for fact-finding," Dr. Solanki noted. "But hospitals lack legal authority to discipline doctors—they can only investigate and report. Even when reports are submitted, there's no constituted council to act on them."
He emphasized that the registrar cannot act independently, requiring disciplinary, executive, and general body committees—all currently absent—for any substantive decisions. "In practical terms, patients currently have no effective grievance-redressal mechanism," Dr. Solanki concluded.
Broader Implications for Healthcare Governance
Beyond complaint resolution, the DMC's paralysis affects multiple critical areas:
- Doctor registrations and re-registrations face significant delays
- Professional conduct oversight has effectively suspended
- Quackery prevention mechanisms are compromised
- Legal protections for practitioners discharging duties properly are uncertain
With the council composed of both elected and nominated members—including representatives from the Delhi Medical Association and medical colleges—its absence creates a dangerous regulatory vacuum. As approximately 100 new complaints arrive monthly with no resolution pathway, patients' faith in medical accountability erodes while practitioners operate in an environment of diminished oversight.
The Delhi government's promise to reconstitute the council through elections offers limited solace to those currently suffering without recourse. Until functional governance is restored, thousands remain trapped between tragedy and justice, their complaints accumulating in files that may never be opened.
