Progressive Medical Teachers Association cites Sheopur Medical College case, NMC corruption FIRs, and vacant regulatory posts; demands independent audit and action against erring officials
Bhopal, July 1, 2026: On the eve of National Doctors’ Day, the Progressive Medical Teachers Association (PMTA), Madhya Pradesh — a registered body representing government and self-financed medical educators across the state — has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising serious concerns over what it calls a rapidly deteriorating standard of medical education in the country and in Madhya Pradesh in particular.
In its letter, the association has squarely blamed the National Medical Commission (NMC) for the crisis, alleging that medical colleges are being opened across the country “in an unplanned manner” and without meeting minimum infrastructure and faculty requirements.
“We Need Better Doctors, Not More Doctors”
Citing World Health Organisation data, the association noted that India’s doctor-population ratio currently stands at 1:811 — already better than the WHO-recommended 1:1000. It pointed out that WHO’s modern framework now emphasises the availability of the entire health workforce — doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals — rather than a standalone doctor-population ratio.
“The need of the hour is to produce competent doctors, not merely a larger number of them,” the association said, arguing that unplanned expansion of medical colleges is compromising training quality with potentially serious long-term consequences for public health.
Sheopur Government Medical College Cited as Case Study
The letter draws particular attention to a recent open letter written by students of Sheopur Government Medical College, which it describes as exposing the “ground reality” of medical education in the state. According to the association, students at the college reported an acute shortage of faculty, inadequate resources for practical training, and an insufficient patient load for clinical exposure.
In a striking claim, the association stated that against a prescribed target of roughly 180 practical classes over the past year, only a single class was actually conducted — a gap it said leaves students’ practical and clinical competence at a “deeply concerning” level, with direct implications for future patient safety.
Corruption Allegations Against NMC
The association alleged that the NMC’s own credibility is currently “highly questionable,” pointing to FIRs registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against several senior NMC officials and members of inspection teams. It alleged that inspection dates were leaked in advance to some institutions, allowing them to present “ghost faculty” and “paper patients” to clear inspections that should otherwise have failed them.
“If true, this is not merely an administrative failure on NMC’s part — it is a serious compromise of the nation’s health and its future,” the letter states.
14 of 20 Posts Vacant in NMC’s Autonomous Boards
The association also flagged severe staffing shortages at the top of India’s medical education regulatory structure, stating that 14 of 20 sanctioned posts across the NMC’s four autonomous boards — the Undergraduate Medical Education Board, Postgraduate Medical Education Board, Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), and Ethics and Medical Registration Board — currently lie vacant. Of the handful of doctors currently in position, it said, only one serves as a regular full-time member, with the rest working part-time.
The association termed this “deeply unfortunate,” given that the NMC is the body responsible for accrediting and regulating over 850 medical colleges across the country.
PMTA’s Demands to the PM
The association has put forward three core demands before the Prime Minister:
- An independent, high-level audit — physical, academic and biometric — of all newly established medical colleges across India and Madhya Pradesh.
- Strict action against corrupt officials, including dismissal and legal proceedings against those found to have granted accreditation to ineligible institutions in exchange for bribes, along with appointment of honest, capable doctors to fill vacant NMC posts.
- A resource-based approval policy, under which the Madhya Pradesh government’s Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary be directed not to permit any new medical college without adequate buildings, laboratories, hospital facilities, clinical material and qualified faculty already in place.
“This is not merely a matter concerning medical education,” the association wrote. “It is a subject of national importance, tied directly to the future of India’s healthcare system and the lives of crores of citizens. If firm, transparent and impartial action is not taken in time, the consequences could be severe.”
The PMTA has urged the Prime Minister’s Office to intervene urgently and ensure an impartial investigation followed by strict corrective action.
