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The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has appointed Dr. B.N. Gangadhar, the president of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), as the Officiating Chairman of the National Medical Commission (NMC) for a duration of three months. Dr. Suresh Chandra Sharma’s tenure concluded on September 24, 2023. Dr. Sharma had been appointed as the Chairman of NMC when it replaced the former Medical Council of India, serving a three-year term. Previously, Professor Sharma headed the ENT head neck surgery department at Delhi AIIMS.
Dr. Gangadhar will assume the responsibilities of the Chairman until a regular appointment is made, or for a period of three months, or until further notice, whichever comes first. His term as Officiating Chairman begins on September 25, 2023.
In a communication to the NMC Secretary, the Union Health Ministry stated, “I am directed to refer to the subject mentioned above and state that the term of the current Chairman, National Medical Commission (NMC) is going to end on 24.09.2023.” “The matter has been examined in this Ministry and it has been decided with the approval of the competent authority to assign Officiating Charge for the post of Chairman, NMC to Dr. B. N. Gangadhar, President, Medical Assessment and Rating Board w.e.f. 25.09.2023 till a regular appointment is made or for a period of three months or until further order whichever is earlier,” the Ministry further stated. “This issue with the approval of the Hon’ble Minister of Health and Family Welfare,” the letter added.
Dr. Gangadhar was appointed as the President of the NMC Medical Assessment and Rating Board through a Gazette notification dated May 24, 2021. He is also a Senior Professor of Psychiatry, bringing over 30 years of extensive experience in the field of mental health, from both clinical and academic perspectives.
He earned his MBBS degree from Bangalore Medical College in 1978 and joined NIMHANS as a faculty member in 1982 after completing MD Psychiatry from the same Institute in 1981. He was honored with the prestigious Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (FAMS) degree in 2006 and D.Sc. (Doctor of Science) from SVYASA Yoga University, Bengaluru for his research work on Yoga and Mental Health in 2012. Dr. Gangadhar is the recipient of the coveted Sir CV Raman Award and Doctors Day Award from the Government of Karnataka. He has also shared over 25 awards with other primary recipients.
He has authored more than 350 publications in National and International journals and numerous articles in books. He has served as the principal investigator and co-investigator for many WHO, Fogarty International, DST, ICMR, AYUSH, CCRYN, and CCRAS-funded projects. The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, honored him with the Sir C V Raman Award for medical sciences in 1998. He received the Dr. D. S. Raju Memorial Oration Award from the Indian Psychiatry Society in 2001. Additionally, he has been co-recipient of many other awards.
