The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released draft amendments to the Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment & Rating Regulations, 2023, proposing major changes to the eligibility criteria, application process, and compliance requirements for setting up new medical colleges and expanding existing ones.
Among the key proposed changes, the NMC has expanded the list of eligible entities that can establish medical colleges. Registered trusts under the relevant state laws have been included as eligible applicants, while certain existing eligibility provisions under Clause 6 have been removed or revised.
The Commission has also proposed major changes to the application process. Applicants will now be required to submit a valid Consent of Affiliation (CoA) from a recognised university, issued in the name of the applicant or the medical college. The CoA must be valid at the time of application submission.
Applicants must also submit a solvency certificate based on the last completed financial year, issued by a Chartered Accountant within 90 days before the last date for submitting applications.
To strengthen infrastructure standards, the draft regulations state that all infrastructure and statutory requirements must be fully completed before an application is submitted. Temporary arrangements for hospitals or college buildings will not be permitted, and institutions with work-in-progress infrastructure will not be considered for further processing.
The proposed amendments also introduce a mandatory corpus fund for new medical colleges. Applicants will be required to submit an undertaking to earmark a dedicated corpus fund for the functioning of the institution. Existing medical colleges will also be required to maintain such a fund. The Medical Assessment & Rating Board (MARB) will determine the corpus fund amount, which may be revised from time to time.
The NMC has also proposed stricter provisions for incomplete applications. Applications submitted without the prescribed documents or any additional documents notified by the MARB may be rejected outright without an opportunity for rectification, in accordance with the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.
In addition, the draft proposes tougher penalties for regulatory violations. The MARB may withhold the processing of, or reject, applications for establishing new medical colleges or increasing seats for the relevant academic year or for a specified period. It has also proposed the immediate suspension of processing or rejection of applications if an institution attempts to influence or pressure the MARB or the NMC through individuals or agencies.
The NMC has invited objections and suggestions from stakeholders within 30 days of the draft regulations being made available to the public through the Gazette of India. Comments must be submitted only through the designated email ID in the prescribed format.
Suggestions submitted through physical means or any other mode will not be considered.