Is NMC Unaware? Anonymous Letter by Medical Student highlights Condition of medicos in India

New Delhi: "I am a medical student, compelled by the prevailing miserable condition of medical UG and PG students..." a medical student wrote in an anonymous open letter to the National Medical Commission (NMC) and Medical Education Administrators.

Released by Health & Human Rights Activist, Prof Dr. Vitill K Gupta, the letter highlighted the 'pitiful' condition of the medical education system in India. In the letter, the medical student accused the Apex Medical Education Regulatory Body NMC of being ignorant about the condition of medical colleges running undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical courses.

In the letter, the student pointed out that despite multiple notices by NMC clarifying that hostel accommodation shall not be compulsory for PG residents, stipend shall be at par with state colleges, weekly off shall be given and weekly work hours shall be limited, none of these rules are followed at several medical colleges running PG medical courses.

"A vast majority of UG and PG students in India suffer from serious mental health issues, ranging from adjustment disorder to severe depression, a lot of them being suicidal. It is unimaginable that the National Medical Commission (NMC) yields no power, because inspite of multiple notices by the esteemed NMC that hostel accommodation shall not be compulsory for PG residents, stipend shall be at par with state colleges, weekly off shall be given to residents, weekly work hours shall be limited. I stand as a steadfast witness that not a single rule made by the NMC is followed at multiple medical colleges running postgraduate courses across the nation," mentioned the letter.

"To see the condition of UG and PG students on a daily basis, their struggle to keep afloat, it pushes me to depression," added the letter, questioning of a student can have the information regarding the real condition of medical education system, could it be possible that NMC was in the dark?

In the letter, the student also highlighted how the Apex Medical Commission does not have any proper portal for complaints and also raised doubts regarding the way of enforcing the rules made by the Commission.

"If I have the information of the state of affairs, am I to believe that the NMC is in the dark and is unaware of what is happening in India. Medical colleges run by the local leaders and goons of political parties openly threaten students with exuberant monetary fines, suspension and what not. Furthermore, NMC has no proper portal for complaints, and does the NMC really expect students to complain after giving their complete details, paying upwards of 80-90 laths as course fee, such institutions openly threaten the students with detention and failure in examinations as they hold the key. Am I to believe that the NMC is unaware of all this and if not, where is the action, is it enough to obtain details of stipend, is it enough to issue a notice stating hostels are not compulsory, WHO WILL ENFORCE IT," read the letter.

"What saddens me is the illusion that the NMC will do something, the hope that someday these dictatorial institutions will be held liable. Alas, nothing ever happens, no change occurs. Students keep getting threatened, keep committing suicides and we stand as silent spectators. If the NMC can't do anything, why do we have such a body, what good is its existence," it added.

The student added that while names of some medical institutes could be revealed but also expressed concerns about being targeted for the same. "I could reveal the name of the institutions but what would happen then, as some lowly clerk in the NMC will be on the payroll of the people running such ghastly institutions which will lead to my victimisation, with no where to find justice. For the first time ever, the NMC had such people heading it, that it gave me hope, I really believed in the current people running it, but we all know hope does, IT KILLS!" stated the letter.

Sharing the letter on X (formerly Twitter), Prof Dr. Vitull K Gupta mentioned in a post, "Most surprisingly why no one is taking about collapsing medical edu in India and more importantly miserable working conditions of resident doctors. Request all to Please take up this sensitive issue in what ever capacity you can and save medical education in India."

Raising a similar kind of warning, recently an Assistant Professor in a Raipur-based medical college raised an alarm before the Commission alleging that their institute was recording 90% of daily attendance using silicon thumb impressions.

Writing to the Chairman of the Top Medical Commission, the assistant professor raised alarming allegations. He claimed that after employing the doctors on a part-time basis, the college was showing them as full-time faculty members to NMC without paying them the rightful salaries.

Further, the doctor alleged that the college was not relieving them from the NMC AEBAS system and using their thumb impressions as mold, recording their attendance on the biometric attendance system.