The National Medical Commission (NMC) has made the decision to deny recognition to the Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College in Nerchowk, Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. This change resulted from problems with the faculty that were found during an NMC inspection. After fixing the issues raised by the Commission, the college will need to reapply for recognition. Students looking for jobs outside the state may run into issues if their application is denied, even temporarily.

Concerns Associated With Faculty Quick Refusal of Recognition

The first batch of students were preparing for their final exams when the NMC conducted its inspection, and various staff-related concerns were noticed. Concerning these issues, the NMC asked the college administration for a response. It’s important to remember that recognition for medical colleges is normally given following an inspection carried out by a team from the NMC during the final exams of the first batch.

The Director of Medical Education, Dr. Sita Thakur, gave her perspective on the subject and stated that students who want to pursue employment prospects outside of the state may face challenges if their credentials are denied recognition, even temporarily.

Attempts to Recognise Deficiencies and Address Them

Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College’s principal, Dr. DK Verma, acknowledged that the college has addressed the staff-related concerns made in response to the NMC’s remarks. He also said that the college would review its professors before applying for another inspection. Dr. Verma stated that approval sometimes comes later and may even be retroactive in nature.

Furthermore, other medical colleges are also struggling with the NMC’s delayed recognition, not just Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College. Similar issues are being faced by three additional medical colleges in Nahan, Chamba, and Hamirpur. These four medical schools were all founded in Himachal Pradesh in 2016.

Nahan Medical College’s principal, Dr. Shyam Kaushik, responded to the topic of potential recognition by saying that the college is actively fixing infrastructure issues and that the NMC has already carried out a virtual inspection. The college is currently anticipating the Commission’s report. The principal of Chamba College, Dr. Pankaj Gupta, repeated these ideas and emphasised that the graduating students will suffer because of the delay in recognition. The severe faculty shortage at Chamba Medical College is the main source of worry. Staff from the Shimla and Tanda medical colleges have temporarily been transferred to Chamba in order to temporarily alleviate this problem.

Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College and the other medical institutions in Himachal Pradesh that are waiting for recognition have suffered greatly as a result of the NMC’s refusal to grant them recognition. To guarantee the calibre and legitimacy of their educational programmes, these colleges must carefully address the faculty-related and infrastructure issues noted by the Commission. The students’ future and their chances of finding jobs both within and beyond the state depend on the prompt settlement of these challenges.