Ketan Desai is chief of world medical body

AHMEDABAD: Dr Ketan Desai, former president of Medical Council of India, has been elected unopposed the president of World Medical Association (WMA) at the general body meet held recently in Brazil. Dr Desai is the first Indian to be appointed chief of this world body.
"WMA is a prestigious body. This appointment will open my worldview to medical education and medical practices all over the world.We can learn closely from the world and help recommend policies to government," said Dr Desai (57) whose appointment was celebrated by distributing sweets and bursting crackers.
WMA is an umbrella body established in 1947 with medical associations of 109 countries as members including USA, UK, Japan, Germany, Russia, France, Australia, China and Canada. Dr Desai's name was proposed by members of Japan and supported by US and Australia.
Incidentally, Dr Desai was elected president of WMA in 2009 but could not assume charge in 2010 after he was apprehended by CBI at the airport, on charges of graft. Allegations that he was paid a bribe of Rs 2 crore by a college in Punjab were leveled. MCI was dissolved following his arrest and Dr Desai was even suspended by the state government from his position as HOD of the urology department at BJ Medical College.
He was recently reinstated as HOD at BJ and there is speculation that when MCI is reconstituted, Dr Desai is likely to throw his hat into the ring again. His appointment as president of the world body is likely to add weight to his claim to the top position of the regulatory body for medical education in the country.