NEW DELHI: In a bid to tighten the stranglehold on regulatory compliance in medical education, the National Medical Council (NMC) has proposed making dedicated corpus funds mandatory for new and recently operational medical colleges, while warning that incomplete applications will be rejected outright.According to the draft amendments to the Medical Institutions Establishment and Expansion Regulations 2023 released this week, any entity seeking to open a new medical school will have to submit a letter of undertaking confirming that it will maintain a dedicated fund dedicated to the operation of the institution. This amount will be determined later by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) and may be revised from time to time. The regulations also cover colleges that are already operating.MARB Chairman Dr MK Ramesh told TOI that the previous regulations mentioned corpus funds but did not specify the amount, making it difficult to enforce. Rather than delete the provision, the committee chose to retain it by seeking a commitment from the university, in an amount to be determined after due deliberations. While the wording includes existing institutions, its purpose is primarily to ensure the financial security of new and recently opened universities. Once determined, the corpus quantity will be uniform.The draft also marks a clear shift toward more rigorous scrutiny of applications. It clarified that as per the NMC Act, the “scheme” is valid only after the application is completed and all mandatory documents are furnished. In the past, some applicants have submitted incomplete proposals and later sought more time or court intervention to provide missing documents. The amendment seeks to end this practice, stipulating that incomplete applications will be rejected at the outset without further opportunity.Mandatory documents include a valid basic certificate issued by the concerned state or union territory government, a valid affiliation consent letter issued by a recognized university and a solvency certificate issued by a chartered accountant within 90 days before the application deadline.The regulator has also given itself the power to suspend or reject applications for new programs or additional seats for a specific academic year. In a strong compliance warning, the draft states that any attempt to put pressure on the MARB or NMC through individuals or institutions may result in the application being immediately stopped or rejected.Medical schools and seats have expanded rapidly in India over the past decade. Although growth has improved access to medical education, concerns about infrastructure gaps, faculty shortages, and financial sustainability remain. By mandating the establishment of a corpus fund and removing room for incomplete proposals, the NMC appears to indicate that future expansion must be supported by financial preparedness and full regulatory compliance.The draft amendments are open for public comment for 30 days, after which the Commission will decide to finalize the revised rules.
