The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a warning to students and parents, asking them to check the authenticity and approval status of medical colleges before taking admission or paying fees.
The advisory comes amid reports of institutions offering medical courses without the necessary permission from regulatory authorities, reported PTI.
The warning follows a direction from the Supreme Court in the case of Ayesha Jain v. Amity University, Noida and Others. The court asked regulatory bodies, including the NMC, to spread awareness among students and parents about unauthorised educational institutions. The issue came into focus after a suspected fake medical college was reportedly found operating from a farmhouse.
The NMC has asked students planning to pursue MBBS to check whether the college is listed on its official website and has permission to admit students for the particular academic year. It has also clarified that approval in a previous year does not guarantee that a college can admit students in the following years.
Students should also check the approved number of seats, courses and permission status through official NMC and Medical Assessment and Rating Board records.
The commission has advised students not to blindly trust college advertisements, websites, brochures, social media posts or approval letters. All details should be verified through official sources.
For MBBS admissions, candidates should follow the authorised counselling process conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) or the respective state counselling authorities.
The NMC has also warned against making payments to unauthorised agents, personal bank accounts or unknown intermediaries.
Students and parents have been encouraged to report fake medical colleges, forged approval letters and fraudulent admission offers to the concerned authorities.
The commission further clarified that courses such as nursing, pharmacy, Ayurveda and allied healthcare come under separate regulatory bodies. Their approval should be checked with the respective authorities before taking admission.
