Infrastructure shortages: GMC Jagtial students protest demanding NMC MSR compliance, Doctors' body urges authorities to intervene
New Delhi: The medical students at the Government Medical College (GMC), Jagtial, are protesting against the lack of adequate infrastructure in the institute.
The students alleged that even though the foundation stone for the medical college was laid nearly four years ago, the college campus "remains an active, hazardous construction site devoid of proper roads, drainage, or recreational facilities."
The protesting students are demanding an immediate handover of hostels, completion of the permanent college building, fully equipped laboratories, provision of college transport, and basic campus amenities in compliance with the National Medical Commission's (NMC) Minimum Standard Requirements.
Expressing solidarity with the protesting students, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has urged the concerned authorities to address these issues at the earliest and ensure that the students of GMC Jagtial receive the infrastructure and facilities they deserve.
Further, the association has also requested NMC to physically verify infrastructure before granting or continuing UG/PG permissions and ensure that regulatory approvals are based on actual facilities available on the ground—not merely documentation.
"First ensure basic standards. Then permit expansion. Students’ careers cannot be compromised because of regulatory gaps," the president of the association, Dr. Srinath Dubyala, said in a release.
What led to the Students' protest?
The student body of GMC Jagtial announced an indefinite, peaceful protest commencing Wednesday, October 7, 2026. In a release, the students said that the demonstration is a last-resort response to the prolonged 3-year, 9-month, and 29-day delay in the construction of the permanent college and hostel buildings, as well as the complete lack of essential college transport required for the mandatory medical curriculum.
Even though the college's foundation stone was laid nearly four years ago, it still lacks the required infrastructure. Highlighting this, the students mentioned in the release, "While medical colleges approved in the same 2022 cohort—and even those from 2023—have transitioned to completed campuses, GMC Jagtial students continue to operate out of wholly inadequate temporary structures. With a new batch expected shortly, five batches of medical students will be forced to share merely three makeshift lecture halls and three shared laboratories. The residential conditions are equally distressing, with students crammed 6 to 8 members per room in congested hostels. Female students lack basic reading room facilities due to extreme space constraints, making academic preparation nearly impossible for final-year students facing university examinations in less than six months."
They also alleged that the academic curriculum is actively being hindered by the complete absence of college transport. Since there is no dedicated buses, not a single batch of students has allegedly been able to participate in the Family Adoption Programme (FAP), Rural/Urban Health Training Centre postings, or community medical camps for the past three years- in violation of NMC's mandatory guidelines.
According to the students, for the past two and a half years, they have repeatedly petitioned all relevant authorities, including the MLA of Jagtial, the District Collector, the R&B Department, and the building contractors. Despite this, the promises remain unfulfilled, and there has been no administrative action.
Demands by students:
The core demands of the protesting medical students at GMC Jagtial align strictly with NMC Minimum Standard Requirements. They have urged the authorities to complete and handover furnished hostel buildings by the end of October 2026, accommodating at least 75% of students, interns, and resident doctors, complete with internet-enabled reading rooms.
Further, they have demanded a full handover of a functional academic block by the end of December 2026, featuring a minimum of four functional, gallery-type lecture theatres and a Central Library with adequate reading room seating.
Other demands include segregated, fully equipped practical laboratories for all departments to prevent the current severe overcrowding, immediate deployment of dedicated college buses to resume the mandatory Family Adoption Programme (FAP) and field postings, bringing the institution back into NMC compliance, and immediate development of internal roads, functional drainage systems, and sports grounds.
"The student body assures the administration and the public that the protest will remain strictly non-violent and disciplined. The sole objective is to secure the fundamental educational facilities and basic living conditions promised to them as medical students of a government institution," the release by the medical students of GMC Jagtial said.
FAIMA Extends Solidarity with Protesting Students, Urges Authorities to Intervene:
Extending solidarity with the GMC Jagtial students, FAIMA Doctors Association mentioned in an X post, "FAIMA stands with the students of GMC Jagtial Telangana. For 4 years, students have been pursuing their medical education without a permanent college building, alongside inadequate hostels, laboratories, transport, mess/food and other basic facilities. These are not privileges. They are the minimum requirements for quality medical education. The students are beginning a peaceful protest from 07/10/2026, seeking immediate action on their genuine demands. Medical students deserve classrooms, labs and hostels—not compromises. Quality medical education cannot be built on inadequate infrastructure. FAIMA urges the concerned authorities to address these issues at the earliest and ensure GMC Jagtial students receive the infrastructure and facilities they deserve."
In response to the plights of the GMC Jagtial students, FAIMA President Dr. Srinath said in a statement, "Students of GMC Jagtial are protesting for basic facilities even after several batches have been admitted. This raises serious questions about the regulatory process."
"How are medical colleges being permitted to continue MBBS admissions without adequate permanent buildings, hostels, lecture theatres, laboratories, transport and other essential facilities? More importantly, how are such colleges now being considered or permitted for PG seats when basic infrastructure for existing undergraduate students is still allegedly incomplete? If permissions are being granted without adequate physical inspection and verification of facilities, what purpose do NMC’s Minimum Standard Requirements serve?" he asked.
Dr. Srinath pointed out that this is not the condition of only one medical college in Telangana as nearly 20 new medical colleges are allegedly facing the same problem.
In the case of GMC Bhupalpally, 100 MBBS students enrol in every batch and this is now the 4th batch of students. Despite this, there
The Anatomy department has no Professors or Assistant/Associate Professors; no faculty is there in the Physiology department. Only 1 Assistant Professor is present in the Biochemistry Department; he pointed out and questioned, "How did NMC grant renewal for 100 MBBS seats despite such severe faculty shortages? At the same time, how is the same college being granted PG seats in this academic year?"
"There is no proper hostel, inadequate infrastructure, and no college buses. This is not an isolated issue. Nearly 20 newly established medical colleges across Telangana are facing similar problems," he added.
