The National Medical Commission (NMC) has granted approval for the second-year MBBS program at Konni Government Medical College and Idukki Medical College in Kerala, providing a positive development for medical students in the region. Idukki Medical College initially admitted 50 MBBS students under the previous Congress-UDF government.

During the LDF government’s administration, the Medical Council of India (MCI) withdrew its recognition of Idukki Medical College in 2016, citing insufficient resources such as inadequate beds, academic buildings, staff, and housing facilities for students and employees. Subsequently, students enrolled at the college were relocated to Alappuzha Medical College.

In 2020, Dr. RK Vats, the secretary-general of the MCI Board of Governors, sent a letter to Idukki Medical College outlining seven issues and discrepancies in the college’s management, such as low resident numbers (58%), low bed occupancy rates (29.3%), inadequate faculty numbers (18%), and deficiencies in the hospital’s clinical laboratory and radiology services. Eventually, in the previous year, the NMC authorized Idukki Medical College to admit 100 MBBS students.

GMC Konni had also been seeking NMC approval for several years. In 2021, the Medical Education Department of Kerala requested the Apex Medical Commission’s permission to commence MBBS admissions at GMC Konni. Last year, the NMC finally granted approval for GMC Konni to admit 100 MBBS students.

According to a recent report by the Times of India, the NMC has authorized Konni and Idukki medical colleges to admit students into their second-year MBBS program. The report further states that since taking office, the LDF government has invested approximately Rs 250 crore in the development of these two medical colleges.

Union MoS Health, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, has revealed that Kerala has a total of 33 medical colleges with a capacity to admit 4605 MBBS students. Out of these, 12 government medical colleges offer 1755 MBBS seats, while the remaining 2850 MBBS seats are available at 21 medical colleges managed by private institutions.

A doctor in Ahmedabad has approached the High Court bench to demand the right to practice medicine in Gujarat. The State Government denied her registration due to pending rural service for one year, despite obtaining a PG diploma degree in child healthcare from an autonomous body in Mumbai. The doctor has challenged the state’s decision, arguing that the mandatory rural service rule applies only to postgraduate students in Gujarat and not to her.

The Gujarat Medical Council passed a resolution in 2011, Clause 7 of which mandated rural service for doctors. The state introduced this policy to address the shortage of specialists in the region. As a result, the resolution included the condition of rural service after the implementation of new PG courses and an increase in PG seats through legislation.

The doctor in question is from the Aravalli district and completed her MBBS at M.S. University in Vadodara. Subsequently, she enrolled in a PG Diploma program in child healthcare at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Mumbai. After receiving her degree, she obtained registration from the previous Medical Council of India (now replaced by the National Medical Commission) and received a provisional certificate to practice in Gujarat. However, she was unable to continue her practice after one year.

In 2020, the concerned doctor filed a plea with the Gujarat High Court bench, stating that since she obtained her PG Diploma degree from Mumbai, the State of Gujarat did not fund her education. Therefore, she argued that it is not necessary for her to undergo rural service, according to the Times of India. Additionally, the doctor informed the HC bench that she was formerly registered with the MCI, and as a result, she should be permitted to practice medicine throughout the country. The doctor further argued that the State authorities cannot deny her registration, thus preventing her from practicing medicine in Gujarat.

The doctor informed the bench that she had paid a penalty amount of Rs 1.5 lakh in 2020 to be released from her bond for one-year service after completing her MBBS course. Additionally, during the hearing, the doctor pointed out the conflict between the provision of not granting final registration without rural service and the provisions under Section 26 of the Medical Council of India Act, citing Section 28 of the GMC Act.

According to the doctor’s argument, the Medical Council of India (MCI) Act is a parliamentary law that permits a doctor to practice medicine anywhere in India. Furthermore, the act requires the state to maintain two registers, and once the MCI registers a candidate’s qualifications, the state authorities must update their register and allow the MCI-registered doctor to practice medicine in the state. The Times of India reports that in response to this argument, the High Court bench has asked the Gujarat Medical Council whether it maintains two separate registers or a single register divided into two parts under the GMC Act and MCI Act. Additionally, the court has raised questions about whether a doctor’s provisional registration allows them to practice beyond one year.