The National Medical Commission’s (NMC) latest announcement of introducing monetary penalty, for the first time in India, against medical colleges that fail to comply with statutory provisions, regulations, and minimum standards set by the commission could instantly reflect in an escalation to the fee structure in private medical colleges, warn experts, stating that any monetary punishment ultimately means that the student’s pockets get emptied out.
Currently the average tuition fee for an MBBS student in a private medical college begins at ₹60 lakh (excluding other expenses like hostel, exam fee etc) and goes up to ₹1.15 crore. Additionally a private seat for postgraduation for an in-demand subject also costs multiple-crore (the going fee for MD Radiology is over ₹2 crore).
As per the latest notification, the NMC has brought in ₹1 crore as fine for defaulting medical colleges while doctors, department heads or institute heads could also face penalties of up to ₹5 lakh for submitting false documents, according to the ‘Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023’.
Annual disclosure report
Also, any attempt to pressure the NMC or controlling board will incur immediate halt of the processing of all applications / requests by the medical institution and colleges have also been asked to provide the annual disclosure report (ADR) and other documents required by boards to verify whether they are following the norms.
While some experts such as Rajeev Jayadevan of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kochi said the move was needed to uphold the standards and in the long run minimise disparities in quality among individual medical colleges, Dr. Arun Kumar, former director and Vice-Chancellor, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical sciences , Patna (Bihar), noted that though strict punishment is welcome for defaulters, “Monetary penalties really doesn’t serve as a punishment or deterrent for the private colleges which are in the medical education business.”
He adds that it is no secret that private colleges in many parts of the country are witnessing a steady fall in educational standards and cautions that the new punitive action has to be carried out in an unbiased and uniform manner.
“We are well aware of the fact that the fee charged often has no relation to genuine expenses for the college. So this move shouldn’t turn into an additional financial burden for students,” he explained.
Adds RTI activist Dr. K.V. Babu: “This doesn’t sound like a good idea at all. No medical college management will pay the penalty from its own pocket and it will translate into a fee hike for students and contributions from the parents under various heads.
Warning that this should not become another tool for corruption, Ravi Wankhedkar, former president of the IMA, said that with the opaque functioning of the NMC, it would be very difficult to track its effectiveness.
Criminal proceedings
Meanwhile, as per the latest notification, the punishments include withholding accreditation of medical colleges, withdrawing accreditation up to five years, and halting admission to one or more courses. The commission or autonomous boards could also initiate criminal proceedings for furnishing false information or documents.
The commission adds that action would be initiated after medical institutions are given “reasonable opportunity to rectify their deficiencies”.
The commission argues that since the country is seeing an expansion of medical colleges and fewer physical inspections this move is vital. The Central government has also introduced a command centre to keep a tab on faculty members, their attendance etc.
