NMC pushes onus of addressing medical student grievances onto colleges, universities and directorates

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission has through a public notice pushed grievance redressal onto medical colleges, universities and directorates of medical education of the respective states. The commission, which is the regulator of medical education, will no longer address grievances faced by approximately seven lakh students studying undergraduate or postgraduate courses in over 700 colleges directly under its control, at least at the initial stage.

Calling it “a structured mechanism at 3 levels” the commission has asked that if complaints are unresolved at the three levels “the same may be escalated to the NMC for necessary resolution”. A majority of complaints by doctors under training are against the medical college and the NMC Act gives the commission the power to take action.

The Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations , 2023 says that if the NMC board “has reason to believe that a medical institution has failed to comply with any statutory provision, regulations framed thereunder or has not complied with the Minimum Standards of Requirements as prescribed by their respective Boards, or has conducted themselves in any manner which is not in accordance with the goals of medical education and practice, the Board shall either penalize the medical college or medical institution and /or conduct further enquiry into such act and wherever needed provide an opportunity to rectify the same”.

Unlike medical colleges, which come directly under the NMC, the commission has no jurisdiction over universities or directorates of medical education, and hence its public notice is only an advisory to these two entities. It has only “suggested to form grievance redressal committees” at all three levels consisting of senior functionaries

The kind of complaints listed in the notice include “charging of excess fee, delay in payment of stipend or non-payment of stipend, ragging/harassment, internship related issues, faculty or college staff related issues, disciplinary matters, health and safety concerns, academic issues viz. curriculum, attendance, teaching methods, examinations, assessment, etc.”. Most of these would be against the college or its management. From imposing monetary penalty and stopping admission to reducing the number of students a college can admit or withdrawing accreditation, the NMC alone has the punitive powers to take action against medical colleges.

Ophthalmologist and RTI activist Dr K V Babu said, “Now NMC is asking the interns to address the grievances at the college/University/DME level. Internship is for a period of twelve months only. By the time interns utilise all these avenues, the twelve months period will be over. By the notification on 8th July 2025, the NMC is shirking the responsibility for non-payment of stipends, though they have their own data about non-payment of stipends by 60 medical colleges and 50 medical colleges paying only nominal stipends. NMC can take action against the erring medical colleges under MSME regulations 2023.”