An official source said that about 40 colleges across India had lost their recognition for not complying with the norms set by the National Medical Commission. Over 100 other colleges in Puducherry, Assam, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are also likely to lose their recognition.
One of these colleges is a 100-year-old medical college in Arunachal Pradesh. The source said that the crackdown occurred after lapses were found in complying with NMC norms for security, such as installing CCTV cameras, Aadhar-linked biometric attendance procedures and the faculty rolls. In addition, doctors working here had also filed anonymous complaints fearing the risk of losing their jobs.
In December, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya warned of action against medical colleges that do not stick to rules or maintain proper faculty. “We have to give quality education to students, we have to produce good doctors,” he had said.
Derecognition of 150 institutions could trigger a crisis for the country, where the number of medical colleges and seats for medical students have been inadequate for decades.