CPS doctors raise concerns over recognition as NMC proposes draft amendment to registration regulations

The proposed framework has raised concerns among thousands of doctors who have already completed CPS qualifications and are practising as specialists in different States. They fear that the NMC could finalise the new national registration framework before the status of existing CPS qualifications is resolved, potentially affecting doctors who are already qualified and practising. 

According to them, the NMC and the Union Health Ministry, which has already sought detailed course-wise information regarding CPS qualifications, should first resolve the issue of already-qualified CPS doctors before finalising a framework which may directly affect their additional-qualification registration. 

"They have given 30 days' notice to all to submit their dissatisfaction with the notice; therefore, we are really relying on the media to let them know about our concerns and dissatisfaction. All we want is that, until and unless a clear-cut demarcation regarding our recognition is mentioned, NMC should abstain from publishing any gazette regarding medical practice that debars all who are not covered under the NMC Act, 2019," said Dr Abhijeet Kumar, Treasurer of CPS Doctors' Association.

Apart from the pan-India recognition issue, the CPS doctors have also highlighted the issues faced by 2,300 CPS postgraduate students, whose final specialist examinations have remained pending for a prolonged period. 

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that more than 2,300 postgraduate CPS doctors are facing uncertainty as their final examinations for specialist qualification have not been conducted for more than a year. On March 5, 2026, a large group of affected doctors staged a peaceful protest at Azad Maidan, demanding that the state government and the medical education department conduct their long-delayed postgraduate examinations.

The issue commenced after the recognition for CPS diplomas and postgraduate programmes was withdrawn in 2022. However, students who had taken admission in the 2021–22 academic session through NEET-PG were allowed to continue their courses. Authorities had assured them that they would be able to complete the programme. Many of these students have now completed their two-year training programmes. However, their final examinations have not been conducted since November 2024, leaving them without certificates and unable to practise as specialists.

Speaking about this, Dr. Kumar said, "The way this whole scenario is developing is causing a great conundrum for the already practicing physicians, as it is a breach of contract for practicing in states where local medical councils have recognized us, and this puts the future of exam-awaiting 2500 students in peril."

"Even after repeated assurances from MoHFW, NMC puts a deaf ear to our pleas, jeopardizing 40000 practicing students and further pushing exam-barred students to the edge of their mental well-being. The most heart-wrenching part is that we, as educated nationalists and reasonable individuals, will not stoop to cry in front of Parliament, tarnishing our nation, and because of that, no one seems to be concerned with this matter, which has been brewing since 2017," he added.

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The CPS Doctors also highlighted the recent decision of the NMC to grant retrospective recognition to IGNOU's PGDCC holders up to the last batch of 2013, bringing approximately 1,706 doctors into the recognised framework. Referring to this, CPS Doctors have questioned if a retrospective solution could be developed for a historical group of PGDCC doctors, why a similar solution cannot be found for thousands of already-qualified CPS specialists.

Finally, the CPS doctors referred to the Lok Sabha Committee on Subordinate Legislation raising serious concerns regarding procedural lapses in NMC regulations. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that a Parliamentary Panel had mentioned that it was 'taken aback' to find that key regulations framed by the apex medical regulator were not vetted by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Referring to the panel's report, the CPS doctors have questioned whether the new NMC draft has been adequately examined for its implications on legacy qualifications, pending judicial proceedings and thousands of doctors whose additional-qualification recognition remains unresolved.

They have stressed that the new NMC framework must not leave existing doctors in a regulatory vacuum. Referring to the draft, which aims to establish a national registration system for doctors, the CPS doctors have demanded a clear and fair national solution for doctors who have already obtained postgraduate qualifications but remain caught in State-wise recognition barriers.

Background: 

Last year, the Bombay High Court passed an order cancelling the CPS recognition. Following this, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research stopped conducting further exams, leaving students who had already completed their courses but had not taken the exams in a difficult situation.

The Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) derecognised all the courses offered by CPS on August 16, 2024, on the grounds of failure to comply with the regulatory mechanism under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.

The Bombay High Court dismissed the plea filed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS) challenging the derecognition of many postgraduate diploma courses that were deleted from the schedule of the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), 1965. On the same day, the High Court bench had allowed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging permission given to CPS to conduct 10 additional PG courses. The PIL was filed before the High Court by a Mumbai-based doctor, Suhas Pingle.

Following this, the matter came for consideration before the Supreme Court in 2025. The Attorney General for India had informed the Apex Court that a viable solution would be arrived at to secure the future of students after the Bombay High Court upheld the derecognition of all PG medical courses offered by CPS Mumbai. Taking note of the issue, the Supreme Court on September 12 2025 requested the intervention of the Attorney General for India to arrive at a viable solution in this regard.

Later, the Central Government agreed before the Supreme Court to grant such students two final opportunities to clear their final examinations. This relief applied to 852 students of CPS Mumbai, and after clearing their final examinations, they would also be enrolled with the State and National Medical Councils.

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