After the Vyapam scam raised serious questions about the medical education infrastructure and the nursing scam exposed fake colleges and unusable infrastructure, NDTV's ground investigation has now uncovered deep and widespread irregularities in paramedical education across Madhya Pradesh.
What was meant to produce the backbone of the healthcare system - lab technicians, radiology staff, physiotherapists and Operation Theater technicians - has instead become a story of abandoned classrooms, locked laboratories, delayed exams, backdated recognition, and years of students' lives slipping away.
NDTV's investigation reveals that the paramedical education system in Madhya Pradesh has remained in a state of chaos since 2020. Academic sessions are starting years late, examinations are not being conducted on time, results are delayed indefinitely, and the situation has deteriorated so badly that even admissions for the 2025 batch are yet to be completed.
More than 243 paramedical institutions are operating in the state, with approximately 48,000 students enrolled. Yet, the Paramedical Council that was meant to regulate and protect their future is now facing serious allegations of mismanagement, retrospective recognition, and even misleading the courts.
Colleges That Exist On Paper, Not On Ground
NDTV visited multiple paramedical colleges across districts. At Ayushman College in Sankhedi, Bhopal, a flex banner outside the campus proudly advertises admissions for the 2022-23 session, claiming courses from Bachelor to Master of Physiotherapy. Inside, classrooms lie deserted, broken chairs are scattered across rooms, and laboratories remain locked.
Classrooms lie deserted, and broken chairs are scattered across rooms.
Equipment was covered in cobwebs and blackboard markings inside classrooms indicated that an exam was conducted in 2024, despite there being no sign of regular teaching.
A hesitant female was asked if students come to the building, to which she replied, "Rarely."
Until noon, no teachers, principal, or office staff arrived at the campus. Suresh, the watchman, said, "I've been here for two or three months. Exams are held sometimes. They come occasionally."
When NDTV contacted a teacher Govind, over the phone, he told a different story. "Everything is closed. We are only conducting exams for students who had supplementary or failed. Classes haven't been held for two years."
Not One College, Not One City
In Bhopal alone, there are around 33 paramedical colleges, with 8,827 seats on paper. NDTV visited institutions including Shri Ram College of Paramedical Science, Vyaxal Institute of Advanced Studies, and VIP Paramedical College. Most managements admitted that courses have been shut and only old batch examinations are being conducted.
The 2021 batch, which should have received degrees in 2024, is still waiting. Admissions for the 2025 batch have not even been completed.
The 2021 batch, which should have received degrees in 2024, is still waiting.
Backdated Recognition: A National First
NDTV's investigation uncovered an unprecedented practice of retrospective recognition. The Paramedical Council granted recognition for 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 simultaneously, forcing students from three different academic sessions to study together.
This has created a situation where a student who passed Class 12 in 2025 is admitted into a 2023 paramedical batch, meaning their graduation degree will carry an accreditation year earlier than their school certificate.
This matter has also reached the Madhya Pradesh High Court, petitioner Vishal Baghel said, "The Paramedical Council has performed an unbelievable feat. Three academic years have been recognised together. Students from all three sessions are studying together. A child who passed Class 12 in 2025 is being admitted to a 2023 batch. His marksheet will say 2025, but his admission year will say 2023. This has never happened anywhere else." The matter has also reached the Supreme Court.
Baghel has alleged that the Council submitted contradictory affidavits, claiming before one court that no admissions were taken and before another that over 20,000 admissions had already happened, prompting a demand for perjury proceedings. He said, "In Madhya Pradesh, the Paramedical Council has been issuing recognition for the last three academic sessions retrospectively, which is a clear violation of the directions of the Supreme Court. When the High Court questioned the council, it stated that recognition was being granted late due to procedural delays and that no admissions had been taken claiming that all admissions would be conducted only after affiliation. On this basis, the High Court passed a stay order directing that no admissions be carried out."
At many institutes, cobwebs are seen within the premises and even on equipment.
The Paramedical Council then changed its stand, approached the Supreme Court, and filed a Special Leave Petition, stating that more than 20,000 admissions had already taken place, alleging that the High Court had ignored this fact while imposing the stay. "The council submitted contradictory affidavits before the courts, and on this basis, we have sought perjury proceedings," said Baghel.
Years Lost, Dreams Delayed
In Agar-Malwa district, students at Maa Pitambara Paramedical Institute spoke of careers slipping away. "We've been studying the first-year syllabus for almost three years," said Madiha Khan. "We were told exams were delayed, but they still haven't happened," added Harshita Suryavanshi. "My four-and-a-half-year course may take seven or eight years," said Deepika Patidar, a BPT student. "Our families think nothing is happening. We are under mental stress."
In Satna, NDTV visited Vindhya College of Nursing. Libraries and labs were well-equipped but there were no students. The management claimed the students were "on a tour". Chairman Dr Pankaj Singh Parihar said, "Students are worried. They come from lower-middle-class families. Parents ask why a three-year course is taking five years."
In Chhindwara, NDTV found empty chairs, neatly arranged microscopes in unused labs, tin-shed laboratories, and boards with God's name written on them but very few students. "This delay wastes our time and affects us mentally," said Shweta Pawar, a BMLT student. "Our options are closing," added Mamta Sahilwar.
The crisis is not limited to colleges without facilities. There are institutions where infrastructure exists, teachers are appointed, and students are willing, yet classrooms remain empty because of administrative delay. In Burhanpur, paramedical courses are run at Guru Gobind Dental College of Medical Sciences and Brajmohan Mishra Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences (BMIMTS).
Institutions where infrastructure exists, teachers are appointed, and students are willing, classrooms remain empty because of administrative delay.
When NDTV reached these campuses, there were no students in class. The management claimed that over the last two academic sessions, students had registered for courses like BMLT, DMLT, BPT, and MPT, but the Paramedical Council delayed granting recognition. By the time approvals arrived, students had already moved on, leaving classrooms vacant and careers disrupted, Anil Jain, Director, BMIMTS said.
"Normally, there is a rush of students. But when recognition comes late, students don't wait. In the last two sessions, we could manage only 25 admissions. In 2023-24, around 150 students registered, but by the time recognition came, only five took admission in MPT. In 2024-25, over 100 students registered, but only 20 could finally enroll in BPT and BMLT. Students lost precious time, missed government scholarships, and colleges also suffered severe financial losses," said Jain.
Even Government Colleges Not Spared
At Khandwa Government Medical College, students studying BMLT said exams for students admitted in 2021 have still not been conducted. "Our seniors joined in 2020-21, and even in 2025, their graduation isn't complete," said a student. Nodal officer Rakesh Singh Hazarika admitted, "There are technical delays. We are adjusting classes weekly."
Universities, Councils, Shifting Responsibility
The Madhya Pradesh Medical Science University said affiliations were delayed because recognition from the Paramedical Council came late. Vice-Chancellor Ashok Khandelwal said, "Affiliation was granted based on the Paramedical Council's approval." Registrar Pushpraj added that from the 2025-26 session, recognition will shift to regional universities.
Responsibility squarely rests with the Paramedical Council and Madhya Pradesh's only Health University. Higher education minister Inder Singh Parmar told NDTV, "Everything will be completed on time."
The delay has triggered serious legal and administrative questions, with allegations that the council granted retrospective recognition to colleges in violation of Supreme Court directions and even submitted contradictory affidavits before the top court. Baghel said, "The Paramedical Council in Madhya Pradesh is the only such body in the state. When Parliament passed an Act to centralise the system, Madhya Pradesh also began preparations. The matter went to the Cabinet, and the Paramedical Council was dissolved and replaced with a new body called the Madhya Pradesh Allied Health Council. However, before the council was dissolved, applications for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 sessions had already been invited. After the dissolution, instead of granting recognition, it was realised that a fresh process would be required under the new council. The issue was taken back to the Cabinet, the old Paramedical Council was revived, and only then were colleges granted recognition retrospectively and with backdated approvals."
Uncertainty continues over when the 2025 batch will begin, with the government maintaining that timelines will be met despite years already lost. Responding to allegations of inadequate inspections, Paramedical Council Registrar Dr Sheloj Joshi said that college inspections are conducted by district-level teams comprising officials from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and Chief Medical and Health Officer, and added, "If there are complaints, inspections can be conducted again."
Medical Education and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla avoided a detailed response, saying that "all necessary arrangements will be made."
Vacant Seats, Future Healthcare Crisis
Paramedical and nursing courses form the backbone of the public healthcare system, but the consequences of prolonged delays are now visibly crippling it. Even before the paramedical crisis, NDTV had exposed the nursing scam, the impact of which continues to be felt on the ground. At the Vision College of Nursing in Betul district, where records show around 300 students enrolled, NDTV found barely ten students on campus, with delays dominating every aspect of their academic journey. Scholarships have not been disbursed, and while students should have reached their third year, even first-year results are still awaited.
Monika Jat, a student of the 2022-23 batch, said, "Only the first-year exam has been held so far. Everything is getting delayed." Another student Arpita Jharbade added that repeated years of studying the same topics have cost them employment opportunities, saying they should have been working in good jobs by now. Swati Pawar highlighted the financial strain, explaining that students have been living in rented accommodation for years as exams remain pending, adding that many families cannot afford a four-year course stretching into six. Jayshri Jharbade summed up the despair, saying that despite belonging to the 2022-23 session, students are still waiting for first-year results, with no exams, no scholarships, and a future that looks increasingly uncertain.
In Barwani district, principals of nursing colleges told NDTV that while teaching continues, examinations remain stalled. Manju Jacob, Principal of Yogeshwar Nursing College, said admissions had been disrupted for the past two to three years, affecting the entire academic cycle. Dr Rashmi Patidar, Director of Sanjeevani Nursing College, blamed government policy delays, noting that counselling for students who passed Class 12 months ago is still ongoing, leaving nursing students unable to complete registration and enter the workforce. She warned that this situation will ultimately harm both hospitals and the public health system. Out of 28,560 sanctioned seats, only 17,735 registrations have taken place in nursing, meaning nearly 38 percent seats are vacant. Only 8 out of 21 government nursing colleges have recognition.
