Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: In a bid to tighten the noose on regulatory compliance in medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed making a dedicated corpus fund mandatory for new and recently operational medical colleges, while warning that incomplete applications will be rejected outright.Under draft amendments issued this week to the 2023 regulations governing establishment and expansion of medical institutions, any entity seeking to open a new medical college will have to submit an undertaking confirming that it will maintain a dedicated corpus fund exclusively for the functioning of the institution. The amount will be determined later by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) and may be revised from time to time. The provision also refers to already operational colleges.Dr MK Ramesh, president of the MARB told TOI that the earlier regulation had mentioned a corpus fund but did not specify any amount, making it difficult to enforce. Instead of deleting the clause, the Commission chose to retain it by seeking an undertaking from colleges, with the exact amount to be fixed after due deliberation. While the wording includes existing institutions, the intent is largely to ensure financial safeguards for new and recently opened colleges. Once decided, the corpus amount will be uniform.The draft also marks a clear shift toward stricter scrutiny of applications. It clarifies that under the NMC Act, a “scheme” is valid only when an application is complete with all mandatory documents. In the past, some applicants submitted incomplete proposals and later sought additional time — or court intervention — to furnish missing documents. The amendment aims to end that practice by stating that incomplete applications will be rejected at the outset, without further opportunity.Mandatory documents include a valid Essentiality Certificate from the concerned state or Union Territory government, a valid Consent of Affiliation from a recognised university, and a solvency certificate issued by a chartered accountant within 90 days prior to the application deadline.The regulator has also empowered itself to withhold processing or reject applications for new schemes or seat increases for specific academic years. In a strong compliance warning, the draft states that any attempt to pressurize MARB or the NMC through individuals or agencies could lead to immediate halt or rejection of the application.India has witnessed rapid expansion in medical colleges and seats over the past decade. While the growth has improved access to medical education, concerns about infrastructure gaps, faculty shortages and financial sustainability have persisted. By mandating a corpus fund and eliminating room for incomplete proposals, the NMC appears to be signalling that future expansion must be backed by financial preparedness and full regulatory compliance.The draft amendments have been opened for public consultation for 30 days, after which the Commission will decide on finalising the revised rules.
