The Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) elections witnessed a higher turnout of doctors as compared to the last elections. An observational figure collected by the volunteers noted approximately 17 per cent overall voting in Mumbai. In 2009, when MMC went in for elections, merely 9 per cent doctors from Mumbai had turned up for voting.
“Mumbai is divided in two districts: urban and suburban. Of the 7,249 doctors registered in Mumbai urban, 1,278 turned up; and out of the 13,500–odd doctors registered in Mumbai suburban, 2,200 turned up,” one of the contestants, Dr. Shivkumar Utture said, adding that there is an improvement in the numbers. The election was carried out through a postal ballot. The counting of votes will be done on December 23.
MMC has quasi–judicial powers and is the State’s most important medical body. Besides granting and renewing registrations to doctors, the body also looks into cases of medical negligence. This time, as many as five panels were formed by doctors across the State, who promised electoral reforms, transparency in the functioning of MMC, and decentralisation of processes, among others.
The council consists of 18 members, of which nine are appointed through elections. The remaining members consist of representatives from the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Directorate of Health Services, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and five representatives from the State.
Maharashtra has over 85,000 registered doctors, however, the overall voting in 2009 elections was merely 12 per cent. Doctors are hoping that the State–wide voting would cross last election’s mark this time.
“The elections booths are at district level, due to which, most [doctors] have to travel a lot to cast their votes. The government should have put up booths at taluka level for better response,” a doctor said.
In rest of Maharashtra, Pune saw a turnout of 2,061 doctors out of 9,485, Kolhapur 500 out of 2,127, Nashik 1,360 out of 3,250, and Aurangabad 1,173 out of 3,043 doctors.
“All doctors are hopeful that the MMC becomes a smooth and swift body, but when it comes for voting, the numbers are minuscule. The government also seems a bit easy as the election’s dates and venues were advertised only three days before the election,” a doctor said.
