YSRCP flags NMC move to dilute medical college norms

Vijayawada: YSRCP Doctors Wing expressed serious concern over reports quoting National Medical Commission (NMC) chairman Dr Abhijat Sheth admitting that standards for granting permissions to medical colleges have been reduced from 42 to 20 to facilitate approvals.

Reacting to the reported remarks, YSRCP Doctors Wing president Dr Ambati Naga Radhakrishna Yadav said the dilution of norms relating to infrastructure, faculty strength, clinical exposure and patient care benchmarks raises critical questions about the future quality of medical education in the country.

He said the issue warrants careful reassessment rather than hasty policy decisions, warning that lowering core standards could compromise the training of future doctors and undermine public confidence in the healthcare system. “Medical education cannot be expanded at the cost of quality,” he said.

The Doctors Wing urged the constitution of an independent high-level committee comprising representatives from the NMC, state health departments and medical education experts to evaluate the impact of the relaxed norms. The committee, he suggested, should recommend a phased restoration of all 42 standards by the 2026–27 academic year.

Dr Radhakrishna said structural challenges such as faculty shortages and infrastructure gaps should be addressed through evidence-based reforms, including public-private partnerships, faculty development programmes and targeted investments, without weakening regulatory benchmarks.

Calling the issue a policy imperative, he said medical students cannot be trained in substandard facilities, as this directly affects patient safety and healthcare outcomes. The Doctors Wing also called for wider consultations with medical colleges and healthcare workers to ensure transparent enforcement of standards.

The YSRCP Doctors Wing appealed to the NMC to pause further approvals under the diluted framework until a comprehensive review is completed, reiterating its commitment to safeguarding the integrity of medical education.