Karnataka Medical College Penalised, Admissions Halted After Alleged Bribery: National Medical Commission

(MENAFN- Live Mint) New Delhi: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has levied severe penalties against a private medical college in Karnataka and blacklisted a senior assessor following an instance of alleged bribery.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had arrested a senior doctor working with the NMC as an assessor in May for allegedly accepting a ₹10 lakh bribe in exchange for providing a favorable assessment report for the medical college, the NMC said in a press release on Wednesday. The CBI has lodged an FIR against several assessors, the college authorities and others and the matter is under investigation.

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The NMC said it viewed the incident with "utmost seriousness" and has decided to blacklist the implicated assessor, pending the final outcome of the investigation and legal verdict.

Assessors are not employed by the commission but are pooled in from government medical colleges and assigned for inspections randomly. They volunteer to conduct inspections of medical institutions on behalf of the commission.

Curbs imposed

In a move described as an "exemplary action," the NMC said the private medical college will not be allowed to renew its existing number of undergraduate and postgraduate seats for the upcoming academic year 2025-26. This means the college, which was not identified, won't be able to admit any students in 2025-26.

In addition, applications submitted by the college for an increase in the number of seats or to start new courses in 2025-26 have been cancelled and will not be processed.

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The NMC said it is committed to maintaining "utmost integrity" and "transparency" in its operations and emphasised a "no tolerance policy towards corruption."

The Commission reiterated its authority under the NMC Act to take punitive measures against violators, including imposing monetary penalties, withholding the processing of new applications for several academic years, reducing student admissions, stopping admissions to specific courses, and recommending action against assessors to competent authorities or the Ethics and Medical Registration Board.

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