Pay Penalty or Lose MBBS Seats for 2025-2026: NMC Warns Medical Colleges
National Medical Commission
New Delhi: Noting that some of the medical colleges did not deposit the penalty amount as mentioned in the letter issued by NMC towards renewal permission for 2024-2025, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has warned that the MBBS seats in such colleges will get reduced for the Academic Year 2025-2026, subject to the outcome to the appeals preferred by medical colleges.
However, considering the lack of time for the exhausting appeal process and the fact that the counselling for admission to MBBS courses has already started, the Commission has decided to grant permission for renewal for the Academic year 2024-2025 with the existing number of MBBS seats permitted for the year 2023-2024.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the NMC had been in talks with the medical colleges across the country on a daily basis to ensure that the medical colleges have been complying with the requirements regarding faculty numbers, biometric attendance, clinical materials and other rules.
Earlier, medical colleges were facing physical inspections, where a team of assessors would go and visit medical colleges and assess those facilities. This process was widely criticized and accused of being full of bribery and corruption. It was alleged that the assessor would take bribes and approve medical colleges. However, under the new system, the Apex Medical Regulator is slowly moving online in terms of inspection of medical colleges as well as overseeing the fulfilment of requirements. Although online, with features, like AEBAS and biometric attendance system, it is being difficult for medical colleges to engage ghost faculties.
Recently, for the first time, taking note of deficiencies in faculty and clinical material, NMC imposed fines on medical colleges for violating the Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (MSMER) rules. The Commission slapped a fine of up to Rs 3 lakh on government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, including the colleges in Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram, and Nagapattinam. Apart from these colleges, the Commission also issued show-cause notices to many other colleges for deficiencies in Aadhaar-based biometric attendance. Consequently, several medical colleges across the country were told to pay fines to the Apex Medical Commission for failing to adhere to the Minimum Standard Requirements (MSR).
Referring to its online inspections, NMC UG Board mentioned in the notice dated 16.08.2024, "All Medical Colleges/Institutes having valid Letter of Permission (LoP) for MBBS admission were directed to fill in the details/data of respective Institutions on National Medical Commission (NMC) portal for annual declaration as required in the NMC Act, 2019 and various regulations issued by NMC from time to time vide Public Notice dates 18th March, 2024 for the purpose of annual renewal of permission of UG-MBBS seats."
"Details furnished by the college through Annual Declaration and AEBAS report of Faculties were assessed by the experts and accordingly colleges were issued notices inviting comments on deficiencies observed and also given virtual hearing to explain their point of view. In some cases, renewal of seats for the year 2024-2025 granted subject to deposit of fine levied on the college keeping in view of deficiencies," it further mentioned.
However, the Commission noted that some of the institutes did not deposit the penalty, as directed, and clarified that such institutes will lose MBBS seats in the next academic year if they do not pay the fines imposed on them. However, for this academic year, NMC has granted permission for renewal to all the medical colleges.
"It is observed that few Medical Colleges/Institutes have not deposited the penalty amount as mentioned in the letter issued by UGMEB towards the renewal permission for the AY 2024-2025. Counselling for admission in MBBS has already started. Due to paucity of time for exhausting the appeal process, it has been decided to grant permission or renewal for the AY 2024-2025 with existing number of MBBS seats permitted for the year 2023-2024. However failure to deposit the penalty will amount to reduction of UG seats for the Academic Year 2025-26 subject to the outcome to the Appeals preferred by Medical Colleges," read the notice.
Along with the public notice, NMC also attached a list of MBBS seats allocated to medical colleges by UGMEB for the Academic Year 2024-2025, adding that for establishment of Medical Colleges/Institutions and increase of seats, a separate notice would be issued shortly.
The list shared by NMC includes the names of total 680 medical colleges across the country, the States where they are located, management of college (Govt/Private/Society/Trust etc.), and the Annual Intake Capacity for 2024-2025.
To view the NMC notice, click on the link below:
https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/nmc-ugmeb-248139.pdf
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