NMC draft amendment scraps essentiality certificate requirement for setting up new medical colleges
New Delhi: Under the new amendment introduced to the Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses and Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023, approval from the State government may no longer be required for setting up new medical colleges.
While earlier, obtaining an essentiality certificate from the State was mandatory for setting up a new medical college, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has removed this requirement under the proposed Establishment of New Medical Institutions Assessment & Rating (Amendment) Regulations, 2026.
According to the proposed amendment, a Consent of Affiliation (CoA) letter obtained from a recognized university, issued in the name of the applicant/ the Medical College/ the entity in writing, is required.
Under the 2023 regulations, Clause 9 specifies the documents that the applicant medical college needs to submit to the Commission. Previously, the following documents were required:
a. Essentiality Certificate (EC) issued by the concerned State Government or Union Territory administration or the appropriate authority as the case may be unless otherwise specified. The EC shall be valid at the time of application; and
b. A Consent of Affiliation (CoA) letter obtained from a recognized university, issued in the name of the applicant entity in writing. The CoA shall be valid at the time of application; and
c. Documentary proof indicating the establishment of a corpus fund by the entity dedicatedly applicable to functioning of the new medical institution year after year; and
d. A solvency certificate issued by a Chartered Accountant within ninety days prior to the last date of submission of the application as mandated by the Notification issued by the MARB; and
e. Documents by way of proof that such reasonable area of land is either owned or arranged under lease or such other arrangement by the eligible entity; and
f. Capabilities with regard to the provision of required basic infrastructure, administrative and financial support of the applicant, if the eligible entity is other than Central or a State Government or Union Territory administration; and
g. Documentary proof of owning or running a hospital of required capacity as indicated in the MSRs.
h. Proof indicating remittance of prescribed application fee and bank guarantee; and
i. Any such other documents are to be notified from time to time by the MARB.
NMC has proposed to remove clause 9 (a)- therefore removing the need for an essentiality certificate. Modifying clause 9 (b), the Commission has proposed that a Consent of Affiliation (CoA) letter obtained from a recognized university, issued in the name of the applicant/ the Medical College/ the entity in writing, will be required.
Clause 9 (c) has also been deleted- therefore the documentary proof indicating the establishment of corpus fund by the entity dedicatedly applicable to the functioning of the new medical institution year after year may also no longer be required.
The Commission has further proposed that Clause 9(d) shall be amended as: A solvency certificate based on the last completed financial year issued by a Chartered Accountant within ninety days prior to the last date of invitation of the application.
It added that (9) Clause 9 (k) shall be inserted as:" Infrastructure and other statutory requirements as per the regulations shall be complete at the time of application. Temporary arrangement for the Hospital and college building shall not be permitted. A work-in-progress status of the applicant institute shall not be considered for further processing of the application."
