Medical Faculty Recruitment Norms Violated, Say Doctors
New Delhi: Alleging large-scale irregularities in medical faculty recruitment, doctors under the United Doctors’ Front (UDF) have called upon the National Medical Commission (NMC) to take strict action against violations. They claim over 5,000 fraudulent faculty appointments have been validated by NMC across multiple medical institutions.
In a letter to the NMC Secretary, UDF has demanded an immediate audit of faculty appointments, revocation of illegal appointments, and strict enforcement of UGC and NMC norms.
Major Violations Highlighted by UDF
- PhD Tenure Wrongfully Counted as Teaching Experience
- UGC and NMC regulations state that PhD tenure cannot be considered teaching experience. However, numerous faculty members have been appointed and promoted based on their PhD years, violating this rule.
- Illegal Appointment of Part-Time PhD Holders
- UGC mandates that PhDs must be pursued full-time for faculty eligibility. Yet, many part-time PhD holders (before 2016) have secured medical faculty positions, even in core clinical subjects.
- Violation of Faculty Promotion Norms
- As per NMC rules, MD/MS degree holders need four years as Assistant Professor before promotion. However, PhD holders have been promoted directly without fulfilling this tenure requirement.
- Regulatory Lapses in Faculty Appointments
- Several institutes have hired faculty members without proper verification of their leave records, employment history, and full-time PhD enrollment.
- MSc-PhD holders, originally working as technicians, have been promoted to faculty positions without meeting NMC’s qualifications.
NMC’s Exemption Order Under Fire
UDF has criticized the February 14, 2022, order by NMC, which exempted ineligible faculty members appointed before this date from scrutiny, effectively legalizing past irregularities.
“The continued violation of faculty recruitment norms has severely compromised the quality of medical education in India,” UDF stated, demanding an inquiry into all faculty appointments from the past 15 years.
Concerns Over Non-Medical Teachers in MBBS Education
UDF has strongly opposed the inclusion of MSc degree holders in MBBS education, stating that:
- The Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum requires clinical correlation, which only MBBS-MD qualified faculty can provide.
- Non-medical faculty lack clinical experience, affecting the quality of education for medical students.
- Many non-medical faculty members hold distance PhD degrees, which do not conform to NMC/MCI standards.
UDF Demands Immediate Action
- Scrutiny and revocation of illegally appointed faculty members.
- Legal consequences for institutions involved in fraudulent appointments.
- Abolition of non-medical faculty in MBBS education.
- Strict enforcement of UGC and NMC norms in faculty recruitment.
UDF has also sent copies of its letter to the UGC Chairperson and the Union Education Minister, urging a high-level investigation to restore fairness and transparency in medical faculty recruitment.
