NMC cautions students against fake medical colleges, fraudulent admission offers

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission has cautioned students and parents against taking admission or making payments to medical colleges without verifying their authenticity and regulatory approval, amid instances of institutions offering medical courses without statutory permission.

The advisory comes in compliance with directions of the Supreme Court in an ongoing case -- Ayesha Jain v Amity University, Noida and Others -- in which the court directed regulatory bodies, including the commission, to caution students and parents against dealing with educational institutions without first verifying their authenticity.

The direction was issued in the context of a reported instance of a purported fake medical college operating from a farmhouse and claiming to offer various courses.

The commission said students and parents should "exercise due diligence and verify the authenticity and regulatory status of any institution" before seeking admission, enrolling in or making any payment towards a medical course.

It advised students seeking admission to MBBS courses to verify whether the college is included in the official list of medical colleges published by the commission and whether the requisite permission has been granted for the relevant academic year.

The commission cautioned that the presence of a college in an official list or its operation in an earlier year "shall not, by itself, be treated as confirmation of permission to admit students for every subsequent academic year or beyond the approved intake".

Students have been advised to independently verify the permission status, course and number of approved seats through official NMC and Medical Assessment and Rating Board records.

The NMC also warned students not to rely solely on brochures, websites, advertisements, social media posts or purported permission and approval letters circulated by institutions or their representatives.

For admissions covered by counselling procedures, candidates have been advised to use official channels, including the Medical Counselling Committee or the competent state or Union Territory counselling authority.

The commission also cautioned against making admission-related payments to unauthorised agents, personal bank accounts or unverified intermediaries.

"Approval, affiliation, registration or recognition granted by one authority for a particular purpose should not be construed as permission from the National Medical Commission to conduct an MBBS course," the advisory said.

It urged students and parents to report suspected fake medical colleges, unauthorised MBBS courses, forged permission letters, fraudulent admission offers or misleading representations to the NMC and other competent authorities.

The NMC further clarified that courses such as pharmacy, nursing, Ayurveda, and allied and healthcare programmes fall under different statutory or competent regulatory authorities and their regulatory status should be verified with the authority concerned.

"Timely verification and reporting of suspected fraudulent activities are essential to protect students from financial loss, prevent misuse of the name of statutory authorities and safeguard the standards and integrity of medical education," it said.