NMC plans to fill vacant faculty posts in medical colleges with retired army and railways doctors
Amid a shortage of medical faculty in medical colleges, the National Medical Commission (NMC) plans to fill the vacant positions with retired doctors from the army and railways.
This move by India's apex
medical education
regulator comes in the backdrop of Economic Survey highlighting faculty shortages, which are affecting the quality of medical training.
The plan aims to fill at least 700 such positions across government institutions. As per the plan, appointment of these teaching faculty is being planned for post-graduate courses to teach specialized curriculum by the retired doctors from the armed forces, railways, and the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).
Also read |
Private universities headed to IITs to hire faculty
As part of the plan, the NMC has floated a draft Teachers Eligibility Qualifications (TEQ) in the Medical Institutions Regulations, 2024, for consideration by stakeholders.
'TEQ will benefit at least 600-700 seats across government institutions. This will improve patient care and recruit meritorious faculty. However, the TEQ proposal is with the health ministry for further deliberations and is delayed," an official said adding that the delay is also affecting the potential increase of PG seats in the country.
'Specialist medical officer of the Armed Forces having minimum 8 years teaching experience after obtaining the requisite recognized Postgraduate qualification in the subject, of which at last three years as Associate Professor in a teaching hospital of the Armed Forces, with two Research publications under the relevant provisions can be considered eligible for appointment as Professor in the concerned subject," said the official.
Also read |
Govt cracks down on pharmacists gaming the system; regulator told to check faculty, student attendance at college
Similar, provisions are being made in the case of retired doctors from railways and ESIC, the official added.
On 1 April, there were 74,306 postgraduate seats and 118,190 MBBS seats in the country as per NMC.
This indicates a significant shortage of specialists in cardiology, neurology, oncology and surgery.
Till July last year, NMC has documented around 1.38 million medical practitioners with an MBBS degree, which translates to one MBBS degree holder per 1,263 people.
'Until the TEQ is not passed by the government, faculty recruitment cannot happen and it is delaying the process," a second official said.
The official said that the recruitment of faculty members is a mammoth process as government has to provide designations like professor, assistant professor and associate professor. 'Without the designations, these faculty cannot work in the medical colleges."
Also read |
How to game the system: Pharmacy colleges found faking principal, faculty
This year's
union budget
highlighted the expansion of medical education as it announced 10,000 additional seats to be added in medical colleges and hospitals, taking the total number of seats to 75,000 in the next 5 years. The plan is to increase the number of PG seats in the country.
Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson remained unanswered till press time.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
TN loses 50 MBBS seats for '25 admission
Chennai: Tamil Nadu will have 50 seats fewer in the MBBS/BDS counselling for 2025, according to the temporary seat matrix released by National Medical Commission. This will make admissions more competitive for students, although cut-offs came down by nearly 100 marks in some categories. On Friday, the seat matrix showed permission was granted for the admission of 1.15 lakh students in 766 colleges in India. This includes 12,000 seats in 77 colleges –– AIIMS-Madurai, ESIC, govt and private colleges –– in Tamil Nadu. While there were no changes in the number of seats in 76 medical colleges, PSP Medical College and Research Institute in Kancheepuram, which had permission to admit 150 MBBS candidates in 2024, was granted permission to appoint only 100 students this year. The selection committee in the Directorate of Medical Education, in charge of admissions in Tamil Nadu, said admissions will be done for the seats approved by the council. "Seats that are not approved will be removed from the seat matrix by the TN Dr MGR Medical University," a senior official said. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai Seats in at least nine colleges – one each in AP, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and UP – were brought down to zero.
Mint
5 hours ago
- Mint
Lancet report calls out systemic corruption and inefficiencies at National Medical Commission
New Delhi: Lancet has criticized what it described as 'systemic corruption and inefficiencies' at the National Medical Commission (NMC) after a corruption scandal surfaced about India top medical education regulator. The prestigious medical journal's report was published on 19 July, raising concerns about the integrity of medical education and, in turn, the future quality of healthcare in the country. On 30 June, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a criminal case naming 34 individuals, including officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the NMC and a few doctors responsible for inspecting Shri Rawatpura Sarkar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Nava Raipur. This happened after searches at over 40 places across five states. The CBI findings detail how government officials joined hands with private medical colleges to manipulate the regulatory process. Three NMC inspectors and three officials at the Shri Rawatpura Sarkar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Nava Raipur were arrested while exchanging ₹ 55 lakh. The NMC inspectors allegedly took the bribe for approving the college. According to the CBI, health ministry officials gained unauthorized access to confidential information on the regulatory status of medical colleges, including inspection schedules and compositions of inspection teams. The information was shared with intermediaries who, in turn, alerted the medical colleges concerned. 'Such prior disclosure enabled medical colleges to orchestrate fraudulent arrangements including the bribing of assessors to secure favourable inspection reports, deployment of non-existent or proxy faculty (ghost faculty) and the admission of fictitious patients to artificially project compliance during inspections,' said the Lancet report citing the FIR filed by CBI. Lancet said that NMC "lacks a clear action plan and is hindered by centralized power and bureaucratic inefficiencies." The NMC stated on July 14 that it is taking the corruption scandal 'very seriously'. It has decided to blacklist four assessors and will not renew seats for six medical colleges for the 2025-26 academic year. The annual intake for MBBS courses in India is about 118,000. With 1·3 million registered practitioners, India has one doctor for every 1,263 people while the World Health Organization recommends one per 1000. The report said that in an effort to address the shortage of doctors, the government has launched a drive to increase MBBS places, aiming for 75,000 new seats over the next five years. 'This push has resulted in the hurried opening of new medical colleges and the expansion of existing ones. The NMC has even relaxed rules for faculty appointments to address shortages and support this expansion. Under pressure to rapidly expand undergraduate and postgraduate seats without long-term vision or adequate capacity, the NMC has increasingly mirrored the functioning of the (discredited predecessor) MCI,' the report said. The report pointed out that if NMC focuses solely on quantity, the quality of future doctors will be compromised, impacting healthcare delivery, highlighting the critical need for the NMC to uphold and enforce standards in medical education to safeguard public health in India. Commenting on the Lancet report, Dr Dilip Bhanusahli, President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), expressed deep concern about the bribery scandal within medical education. He stated that the NMC's involvement has severely damaged its image and public trust. 'IMA strongly demands strictest and time bound punishment to all the accused and institutional mechanisms to prevent such recurrence. We request the government to involve the IMA in matters of health & medical education of the country.' Concerns were also raised about new medical colleges not having enough facilities or teaching staff. Bhanusahli called for a strong law to protect healthcare workers, quick action against fake doctors, and stopping "Mixopathy" (combining different medical systems). Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson, Lancet journal and NMC secretary remained unanswered till press time.
New Indian Express
17 hours ago
- New Indian Express
NMC issues interim guidelines for MBBS admissions of students with disabilities
NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) on Saturday announced interim guideline for admission in MBBS courses for students with disabilities and directed them to submit self-certified affidavits evaluating their functional abilities. While the Unique Disability Identity Cards (UDID) have been established as a mandatory for persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD), they must also report to designated medical board – just 16 and not in all states – for verification of their self-certified affidavit. The guidelines came as the NEET-UG counselling will begin on Monday. Two days ago, this newspaper broke the story that thousands of medical students with disabilities are in dilemma as they await revised admission guidelines, as mandated by the top court in its various orders. As per the interim guidelines, an aspirant with a locomotor disability and stability issues will have to give a self-attested affidavit about their functional abilities, whether they can bear their weight and stand on their affected leg; walk on plain surfaces; sit in a chair on their own; climb stairs and turn right and left sides on their own, etc. 'As per the Interim Guidelines, PwBD must submit a valid UDID issued by a designated medical authority under Ministry of Social Justice; self-certified affidavits; and the candidate will have to report to the designated medical board (16) for verification of their self-certified affidavit,' Dr Raghav Langer, Secretary, NMC, said in a public notice, adding these boards will verify a candidate's self-certified affidavits and evaluate their functional abilities. The interim guidelines said the NMC has undertaken proactive measures to ease challenges faced by PwBD candidates, ensuring a fair and inclusive medical education environment. This includes facilitating accommodations, revisiting eligibility norms, and adopting evaluation criteria focused on individual capabilities. The guideline also said institutions must ensure no student with a disability is denied admission on the grounds of disability; provided barrier-free access to buildings, classrooms, libraries, laboratories, hostels, and other facilities as per standards notified by the Centre. For counselling Unique Disability Identity Card made mandatory Self-certified affidavits evaluating functional abilities mandatory Report to 16 designated medical boards for affidavit verification Directions to institutions Ensure no student with disability is denied admission Provide barrier-free access to classrooms, libraries, labs, hostels, etc. Appoint nodal officer/establish disability cell to address student concerns Set up grievance redressal mechanism
