New Delhi: In a major development, Dr Sandhya Bhullar, IAS has been appointed as the new Secretary of the National Medical Council (NMC), the apex medical regulator. The move comes after, the erstwhile NMC Secretary Dr RK Vats submitted his resignation to the government
For the past few days, speculations were being made about the resignation of Dr RK Vats from the post of NMC Secretary. Dr Vats, an IAS had taken charge of the erstwhile apex regular, the Medical Council of India (MCI) in 2019. He continued to be the secretary of the National Medical Commission at the time of its formation when this new body replaced the MCI.
An Indian Administrative Services official from the 1986 West Bengal cadre, Vats has served as an additional secretary and financial advisor to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with administration of Central Government Health Scheme as Director-General and e-health programmes. He also served as the Chairman of the Drug Price Regulator, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) from April 2018 to November 2018.
According to the confirmation from a new notice, issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, his resignation has been accepted and he will now be replaced by IAS Dr Sandhya Bhullar as the Secretary NMC
The notice mentioned, "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the following:
i. Post-facto approval for acceptance of resignation of Dr R.K. Vats from the post of Secretary, National Medical Commission with effect from 25.05.2021; and
ii. Appointment of Dr Sandhya Bhullar, IAS (GJ:2003), Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs as Secretary, National Medical Commission."
Dr Sandhya Bhullar is a 2003 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre. In 2019 she was appointed as the director of, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India under the Central Staffing Scheme. In 2020, she was shifted laterally to the post of director in the Department of Economic Affairs. Thereafter in 2021, she was made the Joint Secretary at the Department of Economic Affairs, operative under the Ministry of Finance.
Attached is the notice below