NMC mandates monthly reporting on student safety, vacancies for all medical colleges

The National Medical Commission has directed medical colleges to submit monthly Action Taken Reports on student safety, mental health and staffing. Institutions must strengthen support systems, document student suicides and unnatural deaths, and fill vacant teaching and administrative posts.

Hyderabad: In a push for transparency and institutional reforms, the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Wednesday ordered all medical colleges and institutions to submit monthly Action Taken Reports (ATRs) tracking student safety and staffing situation.

The directive places emphasis on addressing mental health concerns among MBBS students, following recommendations from a specialized National Task Force.

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The medical colleges are now required to formalize structured support mechanism including round-the-clock access to medical assistance on or near campuses, deploying counselors for mental health and closely monitoring academic or psychological distress to prevent tragic incidents. Medical colleges are also required to maintain and periodically furnish transparent data on attendance, availability of human resources, especially teaching faculty

It is now mandatory for medical colleges to document every case of student suicide or unnatural death, noting specific details such as the course year, place of occurrence, police intimation, FIR registration, and status of internal inquiries.

The regulatory authority directed that medical colleges must take time bound actions to fill vacant teaching, non-teaching, and key administrative positions, including Deans, Principals, and Medical Superintendents, while maintaining records of recruitment statuses and reasons for delays.

The NMC has instructed institutional heads, State Directors of Medical Education (DMEs), and Principal Secretaries of Health to treat these measures as top priority to eliminate long-standing administrative bottlenecks and enhance overall campus well-being.