New Delhi, May 14 (IANS): The health ministry Friday decided to set up a seven-member panel of doctors to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) whose chief was arrested on corruption charges and subsequently resigned.

The government has decided to dissolve MCI following the resignation of its president Ketan Desai. The name of former All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director P. Venugopal is believed to figure in the list of members appointed to the panel.

The cabinet had Thursday approved an ordinance giving the health ministry higher control over the MCI, a body which regulates medical colleges in the country.

Desai was arrested April 22 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs.2 crore in return for giving recognition to a medical college in Punjab though it did not meet MCI standards. His resignation from MCI was forwarded to the health ministry this week.