NMC dissociates from Dr B C Roy National Award, two other medical awards

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) announced that it has dissociated itself from three medical awards and the societies associated with these awards. The awards are Dr B C Roy National Award, Silver Jubilee National Award, and Hari Om Ashram Alembic Research Award. The Commission took the decision in a meeting held on October 7, 2022.

“I am directed to inform that subsequent to the discussions taken in the senior office’s meeting, chaired by the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, on 26th September 2022, and the discussions held in the meeting chaired by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare on 7th October, 2022, it has been decided that the National Medical Commission will no longer be associated with the following awards and societies associated with these awards,” said NMC in a letter to the members of societies as well as Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

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Earlier in September, the home ministry asked eight science and health departments to prune over 300 awards handed out by them and institute honours of “high stature” for “really deserving candidates”.

In May, the home secretary had asked all ministries to rationalise awards given by them. The Department of Health has been asked to “rationalise” the number of Florence Nightingale Nurses Awards given to 51 nurses every year and recast the three awards given by the National Medical Council, including the B C Roy Award, and institute a new award of “very high stature”.

In 2018, the Central Information Commission (CIC) had directed the Medical Council of India (MCI) to furnish information regarding the Dr B C Roy National Award. The direction followed an RTI application by R Natarajan seeking records submitted by awardees and probable candidates for 2008, 2009 and 2010 awards and the process of selecting the recipients.