NMC just a rebranded MCI? Lancet report slams apex medical regulator after CBI probe
Lancet Report on corruption Scandal in Indian Medical Education System
New Delhi: In its recent report, the prestigious medical journal The Lancet raised the issue of the corruption scandal that engulfed the medical education system in India.
The report, written by the author, Dinesh C Sharma, commented on the alleged 'bureaucratic inefficiencies' of the National Medical Commission (NMC) after a corruption scandal involving several medical colleges across the country was uncovered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
The report, which was published on 19th July, referred to the CBI allegations regarding widespread bribery and collusion between government officials and private medical colleges and highlighted how it raised concerns about the integrity of medical education and in turn, the future quality of healthcare in India.
Further, the report pointed out that on June 30, 2025, CBI filed a criminal case alleging collusion between government officials and private medical colleges to manipulate the regulatory process.
In the FIR, CBI had named 34 individuals, including eight officials at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Joint Director of the National Health Agency (who was formerly a member of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board), the former Chairman of the University Grants Commission, and doctors deputed by the federal medical regulator the National Medical Commission (NMC) to inspect medical colleges, in addition to officials at seven medical colleges, the Lancet report mentioned.
It further added how three NMC inspectors and three officials at the Shri Rawatpura Sarkar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Nava Raipur were arrested while exchanging 5·5 million rupees.
CBI registered the FIR after searching more than 40 locations in five states. The Bureau found that the health ministry officials gained unauthorised access to confidential information on regulatory status of medical colleges, including inspection schedules and compositions of inspection teams. Allegedly, the information was shared with intermediaries, who, in turn, alerted the medical colleges concerned.
Quoting the FIR registered by CBI, the Lancet report mentioned, "Such prior disclosure enabled medical colleges to orchestrate fraudulent arrangements including the bribing of assessors to secure favourable inspection reports, deployment of non-existent or proxy faculty (ghost faculty) and the admission of fictitious patients to artificially project compliance during inspections."
"These acts committed in exchange for monetary and other illicit considerations undermine the integrity of the regulatory framework and jeopardise the quality of medical education and public health standards in the country," CBI had mentioned in the FIR.
Pointing out how NMC was constituted to replace the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI), which was facing similar allegations of bribery and corruption, The Lancet report quoted public health and health policy researcher Vikash R Keshri stating that "structural flaws, weak capacity, and rushed expansion of its mandate have led to concerns that the NMC is simply a rebranded version of its predecessor. It lacks a clear action plan and is hindered by centralised power and bureaucratic inefficiencies."
Clarifying that the NMC and Ministry of Health did not respond to the queries by The Lancet, the journal referred to NMC's statement on July 14, stating that it viewed the matter "very seriously and has decided to blacklist the said four assessors, pending investigation and final verdict in the matter. It has also decided that the renewal of existing number of seats of six medical colleges in undergraduate and postgraduate courses shall not be done for the academic year 2025–26."
Commenting on the matter, The Shri Rawatpura Sarkar Institute, whose Chairman, Director, and four other officials are named in the FIR, said it was "fully cooperating with the concerned authorities" and that the institution "upholds the highest standards or transparency and compliance with all regulatory norms."
The report pointed out that the annual fee to attend the Index Medical College, which was named in the FIR, is 1.6 million rupees, compared to the Rs 100000 fees for a government-run college in Madhya Pradesh.
In India, the annual intake for MBBS course is about 118000 students and with 1.3 million registered practitioners, India has one doctor for every 1263 people (WHO recommends one per 1000), mentioned the report. Aiming to modify the situation, the Government launched a drive to increase MBBS seats. For instance, in March 2025, the Government announced an addition of 10,000 seats and set a target of adding altogether 75,000 seats over the next 5 years.
"This drive has led to the hurried opening of new medical colleges and the expansion of existing ones. The NMC has relaxed norms for the appointment of faculty to address shortages and support the expansion of medical training," mentioned the report.
Quoting Vikash R Keshri, the report further added, "Under pressure to rapidly expand undergraduate and postgraduate seats without long-term vision or adequate capacity, the NMC has increasingly mirrored the functioning of the MCI."
"The NMC is supposed to uphold and enforce standards in medical education. If its focus is going to be on quantity alone, then the quality of doctors produced is bound to be compromised, and will impact the quality of health delivery," the report added, quoting Umesh Kapil, Secretary of the National Academy of Medical Sciences.
