Here are the top health news for the day:State Medical Councils to handle medical negligence cases, No Special Tribunal: Health MinisterCurrently, there is no proposal for setting up any special tribunal to deal with medical negligence cases, Union Minister of State for Health for Health, Smt. Anupriya Patel informed the Parliament recently.However, Minister Patel informed that the Medical Council of India (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 stipulates that any complaint regarding professional misconduct of a medical practitioner can be brought before the appropriate Medical Council for disciplinary action.For more information, click on the link below:Medical Negligence Cases to Stay with State Medical Councils, No Special Tribunal: Health MinisterPunjab Retired Doctors protest delay in pension arrears until 2028Doctors who are pension holders, who came under the banner of the Pensioner Doctors Association, Punjab, protested against the Punjab government’s decision to pay the pending pension arrears from January 2016 to June 2021 in installments, extending until September 2028.The association announced plans to extend these demonstrations to other districts in collaboration with various pensioners’ and employees’ organizations facing similar issues. Addressing the gathering, association president Dr. D.C. Sharma, along with vice-president Dr. D.S. Bhullar and other senior members, criticized the government for prioritizing excessive advertising expenses instead of addressing the financial struggles of retired doctors. They urged the administration to release the pending pension arrears in a single installment without further delay.For more information, click on the link below:Punjab Retired Doctors Protest Pension Arrears Delay Until 2028India has 1,18,190 MBBS, 74,306 PG medical seats: Health Minister informs Parliament”Tthere are a total number of 74,306 Postgraduate seats and 1,18,190 MBBS seats in the country,” Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha recently.The Minister was responding to the queries raised by Niranjan Bishi and Sulata Deo regarding the number of postgraduate (PG) and MBBS graduates passing out each year from medical colleges in each State during the last five years, year-wise and State-wise; and the doctors to patient ratio in each State of the country with a comparison of 2004 and 2024, alongwith the number of doctors and total population for each State during those years.For more information, click on the link below:1,18,190 MBBS, 74,306 PG medical seats in India: Health Minister answers in ParliamentMore than 50% of faculty posts vacant in Punjab Medical Colleges: CAG Report More than half of the sanctioned faculty posts and around 84 percent Senior Resident, 83 percent Junior Resident doctors posts in medical colleges under the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), Punjab, are lying vacant, revealed a recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.While 51.38 percent sanctioned posts of Professors were vacant, there were a 63.82 percent vacancy for the posts of Associate Professors and 42.68 percent vacancy for the posts of Assistant Professor, revealed the CAG Report on performance audit of Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services.For more information, click on the link below:More Than Half of Faculty Posts Vacant in Punjab Medical Colleges: CAG Report