Never verified letters under NMC's name in 30 years: Dr YSR Medical University VC on fake permission letters row

Andhra Pradesh: Dr YSR University of Health Sciences, the supervising authority for medical education in Andhra Pradesh, did not verify the National Medical Commission's purported letters of permission, which private medical colleges produced to increase the number of medical seats in various branches, the varsity's vice-chancellor said on Friday. Korukonda Babji, vice-chancellor of the university, said the university has never in 30 years verified any letter that it has received in the name of the NMC.

He said this in wake of an enquiry started against three medical colleges in the state for enhancing the number of medical seats in their institutions based on a fake approval letter from NMC. ''In 30 years, we have never verified. Never happened. We get so many letters from NMC, we can't check every letter and it is very difficult to reach them (NMC). They don't answer,'' Babji told PTI.

Rajamahendravaram-based GSL Medical College, Maharajah Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS), Vizianagaram) and Shantiram Medical College, Nandyala, is said to have fraudulently increased the number of medical seats available to students.

On September 1, the NMC issued a public notice that its Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) found that six forged letters were produced by GSL Medical College to increase MD General Medicine and MS General Surgery seats from 14 to 40 each and MS Obstetrics and Gynecology seats from eight to 25 on June 6, 2023.

It also said the same college claimed to have received another (forged) letter on July 7, 2023 granting it permission to increase post graduate dermatology seats from four to 15, MD Anaesthesiology seats from eight to 15 and MDRadiation Oncology seats from two to five. MARB clarified that its original letter issued on May 19, 2023 was only for the increase of MD General Medicine seats from 14 to 24, MS Obstetrics and Gynecology from eight to 15 and MS General Surgery from 14 to 24.

''Moreover, no applications were received from GSL Medical College for increase of seats in MD DVL (dermatology), MD Anaesthesiology and MD Radio Oncology for the academic year 2023-24 and hence, no communication was sent to the college in this regard,'' said the public notice.

Similarly, NMC observed that two fake letters were issued to MIMS to raise MD Radio Diagnosis seats from 15 to 24 and MD Anaesthesiology from four to 18 but flagged that actually no application was received from this college in this regard for 2023-24. With respect to Shantiram Medical College, NMC said the college had produced eight fake letters that it puportedly received, to raise several seats in various branches, but no permission was actually given.

Babji said as things were proceeding well, the varsity had believed that all those letters were coming genuinely from NMC but was later cautioned that they were fake. Further, he said, nobody knows who is the whistleblower in the case yet. Meanwhile, GSL Medical College principal V S Gurunadh claimed it did not make up the letters and that the fake letters were issued to the college.

''It is not that the college has come up with a fake and forged letter, the college has been issued a fake and forged letter," said Gurunadh, but failed to elaborate as to whose work it was. His counterparts at MIMS and Shantiram could not be reached for their reaction on the issue.