NEW DELHI: Medical colleges will no longer be allowed to seek approval to increase MBBS seats while their hospitals or academic buildings are still under construction, under draft amendments proposed by the National Medical Commission (NMC).The draft regulations require institutions to have all prescribed infrastructure and statutory approvals before applying. Temporary buildings and work-in-progress projects will not be considered.NMC has also proposed rejecting incomplete applications without allowing institutions to rectify deficiencies. Applications lacking mandatory documents specified by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) will be treated as invalid.Applicants must submit a valid consent of affiliation from a recognised university and a solvency certificate issued within 90 days before the application deadline.The draft also proposes a mandatory corpus fund for medical colleges, with the amount fixed by MARB. Institutions attempting to influence MARB or NMC could face suspension or rejection of applications for new colleges, courses or seat increases.The amendments have been published for public consultation, with stakeholders invited to submit objections and suggestions within 30 days.
