NMC Notifies Guidelines for MBBS Course under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Courses, Increase of Seats, Assessment and Rating Regulations 2023

New Delhi: The Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has now notified in the official gazette the "Guidelines for Under Graduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023."

The Guidelines notified on August 16, 2023, came into force from the same date, i.e. the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

"In exercise of the powers conferred vide sub-section (a), (d) and (e) of Section 24 read with Sections 26,28 and 29 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 (Act 30 of 2019), the Under Graduate Medical Education Board hereby issues the following detailed "Guidelines under Regulation 10 of the Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023 in short (UG-MSR 2023)" and Regulation 19 of the Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023," NMC stated while releasing these Guidelines.

Specifying the objective of these regulations, the Commission mentioned, "The objective of these regulations is to prescribe for a medical college and Medical Institution approved for admissions of MBBS students annually, the minimum requirements of accommodation in the college and its associated teaching hospitals, staff(teaching and technical) and equipment in the college departments and hospitals."

NMC further clarified that these regulations shall be applicable for medical colleges being established from the academic session 2024-2025 onwards and the application for establishing new undergraduate medical education colleges shall be allowed only for 50/100/150 seats.

The Commission specified that-

• Only such colleges meeting these requirements shall be eligible for continuing their admission of permitted/recognised number of MBBS students from the academic year 2024-2025.
• Colleges seeking increased number of seats cannot exceed a total of 150 MBBS students from the year 2024-25
• Colleges seeking increase in seats for admission, shall have admitted batch fulfilling all the criteria for number of seats admitted for the preceding academic year and also shall be fulfilling all the requirements for increase in seat capacity;
• Any additional permitted seat quota for admissions shall be within the number of seats granted for admission to that college;
• With the exception that colleges who have applied for academic year 2023-21 for increased seats but failed to get the same, can ask for the same number (totaling 200 or 250) that was in their previous application for one time in the year 2024-25 only.
• After A.Y. 2023-24, Letter of permission (LOP) for starting of new medical colleges shall be issued only for annual intake capacity of 50/ 100/150 seats

Provided that medical college shall follow the ratio of 100 MBBS seats for 10 lakh population in that state/ U.T.

Departments : Every medical college/ institution approved for undergraduate admissions annually shall have the following departments, namely:

i. Anatomy

ii. Physiology

iii. Biochemistry

iv. Pathology

v. Microbiology

vi. Pharmacology

vii. Forensic Medicine and Toxicology

viii. Community Medicine

ix. General medicine

x. Pediatrics

xi. Psychiatry

xii. Dermatology

xiii. General Surgery

xiv. Orthopaedics

xv. Radio-Diagnosis

xvi. Oto-Rhinolayngology

xvii. Ophthalmology

xviii. Obstetrics & Gynaecology

xix. Anesthesioogy

xx. Dentistry

xxi. Integrative Medical Research

Schedule-I of the Guidelines discussed about the issue of accommodation in the medical college and its associated teaching hospitals. It includes the requirements in respect of the college campus, administrative area, college council, central library, lecture theatres, small group teaching facilities, museum, skills laboratory, department offices, rooms for staff and other requirements, medical education unit, research facilities (including communication facilities, student amenities, child care centre), AEBAS system and Close Circuit TV Monitoring of medical colleges, minimum requirement of attendance, close circuit cameras, college website, biometric waste management, hostels for students, interns and resident doctors.

It also discussed the department specific requirements such as dissection hall, autopsy block, rural/urban health training centre, teaching hospitals, outpatient area, indoor beds occupancy, hospital infection Control committee,  Indoor department requirements, operation theatres, casualty services, emergency medicine departments, central sterilisation services, pre-anesthesia check up room, pain clinic, central laboratory, blood bank, anti-retroviral therapy centre, pharmacy services and issues like electricity, water and sanitation.

Department of Yoga (Recommended):

The Guidelines further recommended that every college may start a Yoga department with a minimum of one male and one female Yoga instructor/trainer to train the students and faculty in Yoga.

The Schedule II of the Guidelines talked about the Staff requirements. Apart from the General Remarks, it also discussed the faculty requirement for MBBS admissions in respect of various departments such as Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine toxicology, Community Medicine, General Medicine, Pediatrics, Dermatology, Psychiatry, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Ob-Gyn, Anesthesiology, Radiodiagnosis, and Dentistry. It also specified the required total strength of Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Tutors/Demos and Senior Residents in respect of the total intake for 50/100/150/200/250 seats.

The requirements regarding the list of equipment for various departments in the college and hospitals have been mentioned under the Schedule III of the Guidelines. After specifying the list of required equipment in respect of various departments, NMC in the Guidelines further mentioned-

For Phase 3 Departments

The list of equipment for clinical departments both indoor and outdoor, may be prepared by the Heads of departments, who would keep in view the needs for: -

(1) Special examination with diagnostic aids and investigations such as laboratory, X-ray, etc.

(2) Routine treatment, medical and surgical etc.

(3) Special therapy such as physical, occupational, dietetic etc.

Skills Lab

(l) Trainer simulators / models / mannequins for:

-First aid, Bandaging, splinting 

-Basic Life Support (BLS), CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) mannequin

-Various types of injections- Subcutaneous, Intra-muscular, Intra-venous

-Urine Catheter insertion

-Skin & Fascia suturing

-Breast examination model /mannequin

-Gynecological examination nrodel/mannequin including IUCD (Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device) Training model

-Obstetrics rnannequins including Obstetric examination, conduct and management of vaginal delivery

-Neonatal & Pediatric resuscitation mannequins

-Whole body rnannequins

-Trauma mannequin

(II) Each model (Low or High Fidelity) should have a module for training including objectives, methods and assessment. Modules can also have hybrid models where real patients or standardized simulated patients/ computer simulations can be used.

(III) There shall also be space for computer assisted learning with adequate computers.

Along with these Guidelines, NMC has also included the Annexures regarding Draft guidelines for manpower requirement for research facilities in a medical college, the NMC advisory to install cameras in medical colleges, and Pro-Forma for Display of Information on the College Website.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that with an aim to prescribe minimum requirements of accommodation in a new medical college and its associated teaching hospitals, NMC had released the draft Regulations of NMC Minimum Standard Requirements for Establishment of New Medical College/Increase of seats in MBBS Course Regulations, 2023 on June 23, 2023.

In the draft regulations, NMC discussed the accommodation in the medical college and its associated teaching hospitals, department offices, rooms for staff and other requirements, Aadhar-enabled biometric attendance system (AEBAS) & close circuit TV monitoring of medical colleges/institutes and hospitals, biomedical waste management, etc. 

To view the Guidelines, click on the link below:

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/nmc-ug-msr-2023-216775.pdf

Also Read:NMC Releases Draft Regulations of Minimum Standard Requirements for Establishment of New Medical College, Increase in MBBS Seats, invites comments