Medical colleges admitting fake patients may see requests for extra seats, courses rejected: NMC

Medical colleges admitting “fake patients” can see their applications for new postgraduate courses or additional seats immediately rejected, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has warned in a recent order.

The Commission said some medical colleges admit people who do not require any treatment to fulfill the requirement of bed occupancy and investigations. It said “fake patient practice” is a serious violation and will invite punishment if it is reported during an assessment.

NMC approves additional medical college seats through a stringent, time-bound online process conducted by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB). Experts note that key aspects include adherence to the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, and Undergraduate Minimum Standard Requirements, with strict deadlines for submission.

NMC said that detection of fake patients may result in barring the institution from starting new courses or from increasing intake in existing courses for a period MARB will specify. It can affect the renewal of UG and existing PG courses, besides attracting penalties.

The Commission has laid down guidelines to identify fake patients. These include patients admitted on the day of, or just before, an assessment. Patients who have minor ailments that can be treated on outpatient basis with oral medications, and patients admitted without X-Ray, blood reports or without any in-patient treatment such as intravenous cannula, injections, catheterization will be treated as ‘fake’. Multiple patients from the same family being admitted and patients admitted in large numbers through preventive health checkup camps are also ‘fake’. In paediatric wards, playful children admitted without any significant problem will be categorised ‘fake’.

The Commission said the assessment will take into account the faculty, infrastructure, clinical material/indicators, and quality of medical education of the college using physical, virtual, or hybrid modes, and this may be done in one day, or extended.

“Assessors may conduct interactions with staff and students during the assessment. An institution conducting both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching shall satisfy the minimum requirements for undergraduate training as prescribed under the rules,’’ NMC said, adding that incomplete applications will be rejected.