SRINAGAR: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has cautioned students and parents against fraudulent medical institutions offering courses without statutory recognition or regulatory approval, advising them to verify a college’s credentials and admission permissions before enrolling or making any payment.
In an advisory issued on November 5, the NMC said it had received reports of institutions purportedly offering medical and allied courses without obtaining the requisite recognition, approval or permission from competent regulatory authorities. Such institutions, it said, could mislead students through advertisements, websites, social media promotions, unauthorised admission offers and false representations by agents or intermediaries.
The advisory follows directions from the Supreme Court in an ongoing case, Ayesha Jain v. Amity University, Noida & Ors., in which the court asked regulatory bodies, including the NMC, to caution students and parents against dealing with educational institutions without first verifying their authenticity.
The matter came up in the context of a reported instance of a purported fake medical college operating from a farmhouse and claiming to offer various courses.
The NMC has advised candidates seeking MBBS admission to check whether a college figures in its official list of medical colleges and whether it has received the requisite permission to admit students for the particular academic year.
It has also clarified that a college’s inclusion in the official list or its previous operation does not automatically establish its eligibility to admit students in subsequent academic years. Candidates must independently verify the permission status and approved intake of the institution through official NMC and Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) records.
The commission has further warned students against relying solely on prospectuses, advertisements, websites, social media posts or documents claiming to be Letters of Permission and approval certificates. Such documents should be authenticated directly with the concerned regulatory authority.
It has also urged candidates to use prescribed counselling and admission procedures, including those conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), wherever applicable, or the competent State and Union Territory counselling authorities.
The advisory cautions against making admission-related payments to unauthorised agents, personal bank accounts or unverified intermediaries. It also points out that the existence of a building, office or website does not establish that an institution is legally authorised to impart medical education.
The NMC has specifically warned against confusing approvals granted by different regulatory authorities. Affiliation, registration or recognition by one authority for a particular purpose cannot be treated as permission from the NMC to conduct an MBBS course.
Students and parents have been asked to report suspected fake medical colleges, unauthorised MBBS courses, forged permission letters and fraudulent admission offers to the commission through its official communication channels. Such complaints may also be brought to the notice of the concerned State or UT medical education department, the competent regulatory authority and local police.
The commission has advised complainants to preserve advertisements, payment receipts, correspondence, website details and other supporting material while reporting suspected fraud.
Clarifying the regulatory jurisdiction, the NMC said courses in pharmacy, nursing, Ayurveda, allied and healthcare programmes and other professional qualifications fall under different statutory or competent regulatory authorities. Their recognition and approval must therefore be verified with the respective regulators. The advisory does not determine the recognition or approval status of courses falling exclusively within the jurisdiction of other authorities.
The commission has asked the public to consult its official website, www.nmc.org.in, and the relevant regulatory and counselling portals for updated information, warning that discrepancies between unofficial claims and official records should be clarified before proceeding with admissions or payments.
