NEW DELHI: Cracking the whip, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has said that students who got admission in MBBS course in 2024-25 but whose names are missing from its portal may not be eligible for registration to practise medicine.The National Medical Commission – the apex body for regulating medical education in the country – issued the warning through a public notice after failing to receive the names and basic details of all students admitted to MBBS course in 2024-25 in medical colleges across the country. India has approximately 1.18 lakh MBBS seats. According to NMC, despite issuance of several circulars and public notices over the last eight months, details of only 1,15,250 students admitted for 2024-25 academic year have been received from medical colleges and uploaded on its portal. “Some of the colleges did not upload details of students admitted to MBBS course and some colleges uploaded incomplete data,” it said.In the public notice, a copy of which is with TOI, NMC stated that only students whose details have been uploaded on the portal shall be eligible for registration to practise medicine. It has directed students whose names are missing to consult the directorate of medical education concerned or their counselling authority urgently. The first deadline for submission of details – which include name of medical college, date of admission, student name, their merit number, date of birth and roll number – was Nov 8, 2024. Later, it was extended to Nov 23 and then to Dec 10.Sources said NMC’s decision in Oct last year to seek details of all students admitted to MBBS course was prompted by an informal exercise it carried out to double-check that colleges made such admissions in accordance with regulations. The apex body found at least 30-40 instances where students were admitted in breach of rules. For example, a senior official said, even students who obtained less than 50% marks in 10+2 (physics, chemistry, biology) — a basic criterion — were granted admission.A senior NMC official highlighted that while granting admission, medical colleges are required to ensure the numbers are not beyond their sanctioned intake capacity. Also, colleges must make sure that students meet eligibility requirements regarding age and qualifying marks. All students admitted to MBBS course are supposed to have cleared NEET-UG with the required percentile: 50th percentile and above for general category, 45th percentile and above for the physically challenged and 40th percentile and above for reserved (SC/ST/OBC) candidates.
