NMC slams State Govts for transferring medical teachers ahead of Inspection

New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has slammed the states/UT governments on the irregular practice of transferring faculty to medical colleges that lack sufficient strength of teaching staff just ahead of the NMC inspection and transferring them back to their respective institutes once the assessment is over.

Issuing a notification in this regard reiterating the responsibilities of medical colleges and norms for faculty requirements so that deficiency in teaching staff doesn’t occur, the NMC’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) has asked the Departments of Medical Education of all the States and UTs to abide by the rules and not change posting of medical teachers in one academic year.

Moreover, the authorities have been asked to comply with the Minimum Standards of Requirements laid down by the apex medical regulator for faculty in a medical college as well as ensure the sanctioned capacity of faculty is met so that the standard of teaching is not compromised.

The said notification dated April 28 2023, pointed out:

“It has been brought to the attention of the Medical Assessment and Ratings Board, NMC that transfers of faculties are being made in Government Medical College in the state Medical Colleges for the purpose of fulfilling teaching/faculty requirements before the inspection by the Board.”

“The Board has also noticed that various Writ Petitions are being filed in various High Courts by faculties who have been transferred by the state government from one medical college to another alleging that their transfer will result in deficiency in the first medical college.”

In view of the above situation, the following 3 points have been reiterated by the apex medical commission:

 It is the responsibility of the medical college to ensure that the faculty requirements as laid down in the MSR Regulations for the sanctioned capacity of UG as well as PG courses so that the standard of teaching is not compromised.

 Once a faculty for one academic year has been counted in a medical college, the same faculty cannot be accepted as a faculty of another medical college in the same academic year. A faculty is required to make a declaration to this effect in the declaration form to the commission.

The issue of transfer from one govt medical college to another government medical college is concerned it is within the administrative domain of the state govt. It is upon the state govt to ensure the fulfilment of faculty requirements and transfer from one govt medical college to another if made for the purpose of rectifying a deficiency in one medical college should not cause a deficiency in another medical college.

Meanwhile, in order to put a stop to these transfers, the NMC has been repeatedly asking all medical colleges in the country to install Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) which will ensure that they have adequate teaching staff.

In March this year, the NMC pulled up medical institutes that failed to transfer AEBAS IDs in a timely manner. The apex medical commission hence warned that strict action shall be taken against such medical colleges and institutes including de-recognition, and denial of increase of UG/PG seats.

Previously, responding to a petitioner, a Faculty of Medicine at Jabalpur Medical College, who complained over her transfer order by the state government, the Court pulled up the counsel of the government calling the act 'Farziwada' to meet the NMC norms.