CPS doctors protest at NMC over exam delays, demand pan-India recognition
New Delhi: Protesting against the huge delay in conducting the CPS examinations and the decision of not allowing CPS graduates to practice pan-India, a large group of CPS doctors and students gathered outside the NMC office in Dwarka recently.
The doctors have highlighted two major issues. On one hand, the students who have already completed 2-3 years of training after the NEET-PG admissions and government counselling are still waiting for their exams to be conducted. According to the doctors, despite repeated follow-ups, meetings, and requests over months, there is still no clarity, and the careers of these doctors are "literally on hold".
Another issue that the doctors pointed out is that there are more than 40,000 CPS-qualified doctors and specialists from CPS Mumbai who have already completed their training and are still waiting for Pan-India recognition.
The doctors have questioned how a doctor can be allowed to practice in over 10 states and union territories, but not in the rest of India, how a specialist in Mumbai is not a specialist in Delhi. They are asking if patients in different states are different.
"This kind of inconsistency is not just unfair- to doctors, it directly affects healthcare delivery. What is more concerning is the delay. Files have been pending for months and years. There is no clear answer, no timeLine, no accountability. How Long can such decisions be kept pending? At some point, someone has to take responsibility," CPS Doctors Association mentioned in a release.
While the doctors have clarified that they have no objection to any decision the government takes against CPS as an institute, including shutting it down, they have also asked what would happen to thousands of doctors who have already graduated.
They have demanded that Pan-India recognition be given to already qualified CPS doctors in a time-bound manner. "At the same time, the issue of pending exams for current students also needs urgent resolution. Roth problems are connected—they show that uncertainty exists at every stage, from admission to practice. Today's protest had only a few hundred people. It was meant to send a message. But the reality is much bigger. If no action is taken, we will have no option but to come back in much Larger numbers-with 40,000+ CPS doctors from across the country," the association warned.
"Not letting them sit in the exam is just the tip of the iceberg. More than 40,000 doctors cannot practice pan-India," said Dr. Abhijeet Kumar, the Secretary of CPS Doctors Association.
Further explaining the matter, Dr. Kumar added that in States like Gujarat, even after clearing the exam, the CPS graduates will have to undergo a bond for one year and only after that they will be given authority to practice. For one year, those doctors will have to perform duties as Medical Officers and they will not be able to practice their specialties.
When asked about the problems faced by CPS graduates, he explained that the issue is not only economic, but it is also social. He mentioned how the parents regret the decision of choosing CPS courses and how such doctors get cornered in family gatherings or in events concerning the medical graduates.
"God forbid if any subject takes any action, who will come forward?" he asked.
Dr. Kumar further said that the Health Ministry has time and again assured to consider the matter. However, NMC has not come to the table, and nothing has happened yet. Meanwhile, the case hearing before the Supreme Court has also been adjourned four times. The next date of the hearing is on April 22.
Background:
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that over 2,300 postgraduate CPS doctors are facing uncertainty as their final examinations for specialist qualification have not been conducted for more than a year. On March 5, 2026, a large group of affected doctors staged a peaceful protest at Azad Maidan, demanding that the state government and the medical education department conduct their long-delayed postgraduate examinations.
The protesting doctors said they have already completed their academic training and hospital postings, but remain unable to obtain their specialist qualifications because the final exams have not been held.
The issue began after the recognition of CPS diplomas and postgraduate programmes was withdrawn in 2022. However, students who had taken admission in the 2021–22 academic session through NEET-PG were allowed to continue their courses. Authorities had assured them that they would be able to complete the programme.
Many of these students have now completed their two-year training programmes. However, their final examinations have not been conducted since November 2024, leaving them without certificates and unable to practise as specialists.
Last year, the Bombay High Court passed an order cancelling the CPS recognition. Following this, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research stopped conducting further exams, leaving students who had already completed their courses but not taken the exams in a difficult situation.
The Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) derecognised all the courses offered by CPS on August 16, 2024, on the grounds of failure to comply with the regulatory mechanism under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.
Earlier in 2025, the Bombay High Court dismissed the plea filed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS) challenging the derecognition of many postgraduate diploma courses that were deleted from the schedule of the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), 1965.
On the same day, the High Court bench had allowed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging permission given to CPS to conduct 10 additional PG courses. The PIL was filed before the High Court by a Mumbai-based doctor, Suhas Pingle.
Following this, the matter came for consideration before the Supreme Court in 2025. The Attorney General for India had informed the Apex Court that a viable solution would be arrived at to secure the future of students after the Bombay High Court upheld the derecognition of all PG medical courses offered by CPS Mumbai. Taking note of the issue, the Supreme Court on September 12 requested the intervention of the Attorney General for India to arrive at a viable solution in this regard.
Later, the Central Government agreed before the Supreme Court to grant such students two final opportunities to clear their final examinations. This relief will apply to 852 students of CPS Mumbai, and after clearing their final examinations, they will also be enrolled with the State and National Medical Councils.
