NMC Warns Medical Colleges of Strict Action: The National Medical Commission (NMC), the apex regulator of medical education in India, has issued a strict warning to medical colleges that admitting fake patients to show increased clinical activity figures during inspections could face rejection of their applications for new courses and additional seats.
The Commission’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), which evaluates institutions seeking permission to start new undergraduate and postgraduate medical programmes or to increase seat capacity, has flagged the practice of “fake patient” admissions as a serious violation of regulations. MARB inspectors have observed that some colleges allegedly admit patients who do not medically require inpatient care, often around the time of inspections, to fake boost bed occupancy, investigations, and clinical workload figures.
According to the guidelines, such admissions, including patients with only minor conditions treatable as outpatients or no medical necessity at all, will be treated as “fake patient practice”. If inspectors report this during evaluation, applications to establish new courses or increase intake may be rejected outright, and existing approvals could be affected. Penalties and sanctions under NMC’s regulatory framework may also follow.
The NMC’s move comes amid ongoing efforts to enforce stricter compliance with minimum infrastructure and clinical requirements outlined in the Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023. These norms mandate adequate clinical material, such as meaningful outpatient department (OPD) and inpatient department (IPD) workload, surgeries performed, and genuine patient care as essential for quality medical training.
The Commission’s warning underscores growing concerns within medical education governance about quality assurance, transparency and adherence to standards, even as the number of medical seats and institutions in India continues to expand.
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