According to a recent report by Statesman, the NMC imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Kanker Medical College, a Rs 4 lakh fine on Durg Medical College, and a Rs 3 lakh fine each on the medical colleges in Bilaspur, Ambikapur, Mahasamund, and Jagdalpur. Additionally, Mahasamund, Kanker, and Raigarh medical colleges received show-cause notices due to the faculty shortage.

Furthermore, the Apex Medical Regulator warned the authorities that failing to comply with these penalty orders could result in a reduction of MBBS seats, jeopardizing the accreditation status of these medical colleges. Consequently, the accreditation status of three government medical colleges in Mahasamund, Kanker, and Raigarh remains uncertain because of the faculty shortage. The Apex Medical Commission issued show-cause notices to these colleges, demanding a response within 15 days to address these deficiencies.

According to the latest media report by The Statesman, deans and professors from all government medical colleges in Chhattisgarh participated in a recent virtual meeting organized by the Apex Medical Commission. During the online assessment, significant faculty shortages at these medical colleges came to light.

The Daily reported that colleges located in Kanker, Mahasamund, and Korba are struggling with inadequate infrastructure, including a lack of dedicated buildings. Additionally, the severe shortage of critical equipment, such as MRI and CT scanners, exacerbates the situation. The NMC also highlighted deficiencies in laboratory reagents.

Following the virtual meeting, comprehensive inspections were conducted at the state's medical colleges. These inspections revealed disparities ranging from classroom setups to laboratory infrastructure, raising concerns among the officials of the Apex Medical Commission.

According to the Statesman report, medical colleges in Mahasamund, Kanker, Raigarh, Korba, Durg, Jagdalpur, Rajnandgaon, and Ambikapur are currently under scrutiny. Among these, Raigarh Medical College has been operating for more than a decade. However, the medical colleges in Kanker and Mahasamund face significant challenges as they lack their own buildings. These institutes suffer from an acute faculty shortage, with deficiencies in the posts of professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and senior resident doctors.

To address the faculty shortage, authorities are considering transferring experienced doctors from departments with surplus staff at Raipur Medical College to these newer institutes. About eight years ago, neighboring states were enlisted to conduct walk-in interviews to mitigate the faculty shortage. Specifically, Maharashtra and Odisha were targeted to recruit doctors for the medical colleges in Rajnandgaon and Jagdalpur. Following this initiative, Rajnandgaon Medical College successfully hired a substantial number of doctors from Maharashtra. Currently, contractual doctors in Chhattisgarh receive monthly salaries ranging from Rs 95,000 to Rs 2.40 lakh.

NMC: Scrutiny and Action

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the NMC has been in daily talks with medical colleges across the country to ensure compliance with requirements regarding faculty numbers, biometric attendance, clinical materials, and other regulations. This process is ongoing, and the NMC has already reached out to the administrators of around half of the medical colleges.

Previously, medical colleges faced physical inspections, where a team of assessors would visit and evaluate the facilities. This process was widely criticized and accused of being rife with bribery and corruption, as assessors allegedly took bribes to approve medical colleges. However, under the new system, the Apex Medical Regulator is gradually moving to online inspections and oversight of requirement fulfillment. With features like AEBAS and biometric attendance systems, it has become more difficult for medical colleges to engage ghost faculties.

Earlier this month, the NMC imposed fines on medical colleges for the first time, citing deficiencies in faculty and clinical material and violations of the Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (MSMER). The Commission levied fines of up to Rs 3 lakh on government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, including those in Dharmapuri, Ramanathapuram, and Nagapattinam. Additionally, the Commission issued show-cause notices to several other colleges for deficiencies in Aadhaar-based biometric attendance.

The MSMER 2023 regulations allow the NMC to impose various penalties, such as issuing warnings to medical colleges to rectify or comply, imposing monetary penalties up to Rs 1 crore, and imposing penalties up to Rs 5 lakhs on faculties for misconduct. The regulations also enable the Commission to withhold the accreditation process, recommend that the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) withhold applications for new courses or increased seats, reduce the number of students in subsequent academic years, stop admissions to certain courses, recommend withdrawal of permission, and withhold or withdraw accreditation for up to five academic years.

The MSMER-2023 regulations specify that monetary penalties should not exceed INR 1 crore per violation or act of omission by a medical institution. They also state that monetary penalties should not exceed Rs 5 lakh for faculty, Heads of Departments (HoDs), Deans, Directors, or doctors who submit false declarations, documents, or records (including patient records). Additionally, these individuals can be charged or penalized for misconduct under the Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations.