In a landmark step towards ensuring accountability and fairness in medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has ordered all the medical colleges in India to publish their course-wise fee schedules and stipend information. The order covers all institutions governed by NMC, including deemed universities and private institutions.
The decision follows two recent Supreme Court rulings that criticised the lack of transparency in medical colleges regarding fee disclosures and the non-payment of stipends to interns and resident doctors.
To make the process easy, NMC has made it compulsory for every institution to fill a standardised Google Form, where detailed information regarding tuition fees, hostel fees, and intern, JR, and SR stipends have to be filled. The details have to be uploaded on the websites of colleges as well as submitted within seven days of the notice date.
NMC has clarified that any amount of money charged outside the displayed structure or without sanction will be considered unauthorised. Institutions violating this will be dealt with severely, which could range from:
-Show-cause notices
-Financial penalties
-Debarment of student admissions
-Course recognition withdrawal
This move is a part of a bigger initiative by the NMC to enhance ethical standards and transparency in medical education. The commission aims to protect students from hidden charges and prevent the exploitation of medical interns by enforcing clarity and fairness in institutional practices.
With public disclosure as a precondition and strict action for default, the NMC is aggressively communicating that untransparent mechanisms and concealed charges will no longer be acceptable in Indian medical education.
