Be careful students, parents! NMC alert on unauthorised med colleges
NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued an alert about unauthorised medical colleges operating in the country without requisite approvals from NMC and misleading students and parents by claiming recognition and offering admissions in medical courses that are not legally sanctioned.
The advisory by NMC Secretary Raghav Langer to states said they have listed some of the essential points that need to be kept in mind by parents and students while taking admission in a medical course in India and the rules to be followed by the students who intend to pursue medical education in foreign countries.
The NMC also named two medical colleges - Singhania University in Rajasthan and Sanjiban Hospital and Medical College, Howrah, West Bengal - for offering MBBS courses without NMC recognition.
In another advisory, Sukh Kal Meena, Director, Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB), said, “The NMC has observed a few instances of unauthorised medical colleges operating in the country, without requisite approvals. These institutions are misleading students and parents by claiming recognition and offering admissions in medical courses that are not legally sanctioned.”
It, however, did not name any medical colleges that are flouting the norms, except for the one in Rajasthan and WB.
“Only the medical colleges listed on the official NMC website are legally permitted to offer MBBS and other medical degree programs in India. Institutions not appearing on NMC’s official list are unauthorised and operating in violation of NMC regulations,” the advisory added.
The NMC also listed rules for students who intend to pursue medical education in foreign countries. The NMC said the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations, 2021, clearly define the standards for foreign medical education to become eligible to practise medicine in India.
The key requirements are minimum 54 months of education in a single institution; 12-month internship to be completed at the same foreign university; clinical training must not be done in parts or across different countries; medium of instruction must be English; studied the mandatory subjects specified in the Schedule-I; registered with the respective professional regulatory body or otherwise, competent to grant license to practise medicine in their respective jurisdiction of the country in which the medical degree is awarded and at par with the license to practise medicine given to citizen of that country.
It added that foreign medical graduates who fail to comply with these regulations may be disqualified from registering to practice medicine in India. The NMC also stressed that students graduating from non-compliant institutions will be held ineligible for licensing exams - FMGE in India.