HIMSR Governance dispute, faculty exodus, exam delays leave medical students in academic limbo, Doctors seek NMC intervention

New Delhi: Highlighting that medical students at Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR), New Delhi, are facing serious academic uncertainty due to an ongoing internal governance dispute within the institution, followed by faculty resignations, seat withdrawals, and repeated exam postponements, a medical association has sought immediate regulatory action from National Medical Comission and the government to resolve the issue.

Writing a letter to the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Chief Minister, Health Minister, Directorate General of Health Services and Jamia Hamdard University, the Democratic Medical Association (DMA India) mentioned students studying at HIMSR secured admission through the NEET-based, legally valid counselling process. However, due to internal disputes within the Hamdard National Foundation, academic functioning at the institution has been almost completely paralysed, directly affecting hundreds of medical students.

The association highlighted that the students continue to face prolonged uncertainty, repeated academic disruptions, and administrative paralysis over which students have no control.

Admissions Amid Uncertainty

According to DMA India, academic instability has persisted since August 2024. The association stated that despite students securing admission through the NEET counselling process in full compliance with statutory norms, they continue to face prolonged uncertainty, repeated academic disruptions, and administrative paralysis due to an internal governance dispute within the Hamdard National Foundation, over which students have no control.

"Students joined HIMSR through valid, government-regulated counselling. However, unresolved internal disputes within the sponsoring trust created instability, anxiety, and uncertainty regarding institutional governance and continuity," the letter stated.

Faculty Resignations and Academic Disruptions

Between August 2024 and 2025, routine academic administration was allegedly affected after around 37 doctors resigned, which severely impacted teaching, clinical training, and patient care services. Along with this, ongoing litigation repeatedly stalled decision-making, creating fear and uncertainty among students and faculty.

"Medical education—particularly MBBS and postgraduate training—cannot function under such instability without causing irreparable harm to students’ education and training," the letter added.

150 seats withdrawn

In September 2025, the withdrawal of 150 MBBS seats and postgraduate seats, along with the denial of Consent of Affiliation, further worsened the crisis, as pointed out by the association.

DMA said that the refusal to issue the Consent of Affiliation (CoA), which is mandatory under NMC regulations, had serious consequences, including disruption of academic continuity, increase in faculty resignations, and damage to the institution’s credibility and functioning.

"Students, who are neither parties to nor beneficiaries of the dispute, are now bearing the heaviest burden," said the association.

Exams Postponed, Students Under Stress

Another major concern raised by the association is that the repeated postponement of examinations since October 2025 has directly affected students’ mental well-being, academic progress, and future registration and licensing prospects.

"Examinations have been repeatedly postponed due to governance and administrative failures. The absence of clear timelines has caused extreme mental stress, anxiety, and uncertainty regarding academic progression, results, and future careers. Medical students cannot be treated as collateral damage in internal power struggles. Every delayed exam, withdrawn seat, and administrative paralysis directly threatens: Years of rigorous training, Future licensing and registration, The morale of students committed to serving public health and Silence or inaction at this stage amounts to institutional abandonment of students," the association mentioned in its letter.

DMA India leaders further stated, "Medical students cannot be made victims of internal power struggles. Making students pay the price for administrative failure is completely unacceptable."

DMA Demands Immediate Action

In its representation, the DMA called upon the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Government of NCT of Delhi, and all concerned authorities to take immediate and visible action.

Their key demands include the direct intervention to resolve the governance dispute so that academic functioning is not affected, restoration of 150 MBBS and postgraduate seats for the 2025–26 academic year as per NMC norms, and immediate steps to ensure academic continuity, including fixed examination schedules, timely declaration of results, and uninterrupted teaching and clinical training.

"The Democratic Medical Association stands firmly with the students and will continue to pursue this issue until decisive corrective action is taken. Authorities must act now, before irreversible damage is caused to medical education, institutional credibility, and the futures of hundreds of young doctors," said the association.

Medical Diaogues few days ago reported that the Supreme Court allowed adding 49 postgraduate medical seats at the institute for the NEET PG counselling for the academic year 2025-2026. The apex court bench of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued specific directions in this regard to the National Medical Commission, which had earlier withdrawn the 49 MD seats at the institute based on purported letters of Jamia Hamdard (Deemed University).

Also read- Supreme Court directs NMC to include 49 HIMSR PG medical seats in NEET PG counselling 2025