India, June 10 -- With over 650 complaints of medical negligence pending before it, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) has decided to expedite efforts to clear the long-standing backlog beginning next week, officials said.

The MMC - a quasi-judicial body which oversees licence- registration and renewal of over 2.05 lakh registered medical practitioners (RMPs) in the state -gets around 50 to 60 fresh complaints every year. The MMC also has powers to suspend or terminate the licence of a doctor found guilty of malpractice. However, given the number of pending cases and the increasing number of medical seats in the state, the current staff at the council is inadequate to clear the pending cases promptly, officials said.

Dr Vinky Rughwan...