Very recently, as many as 40 colleges across the country have lost NMC recognition. As a shocker to many college management and students, around 150 medical colleges in the country are said to lose recognition from the National Medical Commission (NMC). The NMC is a regulatory body for a country's medical education and medical professionals. It is reported that inadequate faculty and non-compliance with rules are leading to the non-recognition of these colleges under the NMC.
Andhra Pradesh is also on the list of colleges on the NMC's radar, along with a few others in Gujarat, Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Tripura, and West Bengal.
After more than a month of investigation by the Commission's Undergraduate Medical Education Board, which included a look at CCTV cameras, faculty rolls, and Aadhar-linked biometric attendance protocols, flaws were discovered.
During the inspection, a number of faculty positions were also discovered to be vacant.
The NMC will hear appeals from medical colleges within 30 days, though. They can seek help from the Union Ministry of Health if the appeal is denied.
In a nation where there aren't enough medical schools and spaces for medical students, the de-recognition of 150 institutions might set off a crisis.
The number of medical colleges has nearly doubled since 2014, according to the central government's official figures.
According to reports, there will be 660 medical colleges in operation in 2023, up from 387 in 2014.
There are 65,335 post-graduate seats overall, which is more than twice as many as there were in 2014 (31,185 seats). 1,01,043 seats are available for MBBS students, up from 51,348 in 2014.
However, the de-recognition of 150 medical colleges could result in a reduction of roughly 25% in the number of medical institutions.
