Uttar Pradesh Gets Permission for New Medical Colleges | 02 Aug 2024

Why in News?

Recently, the National Medical Commission (NMC) granted permission to seven new medical colleges and increased seats in two existing colleges in Uttar Pradesh.

Key Points

  • Permission has been issued for the autonomous state medical colleges in Bijnor, Bulandshahr, Kushinagar, Pilibhit, Sultanpur, Kanpur Dehat and Lalitpur collectively having 600 MBBS seats.
    • Additionally, the government medical colleges in Agra and Meerut have had their seat counts increased by 72 and 50 bringing the total to 200 seats at the Agra Medical College and 150 seats at the Meerut Medical College.

National Medical Commission (NMC)

  • NMC is the apex regulatory body for medical education and practice in India.
  • It was established in 2020 by the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, replacing the Medical Council of India (MCI).
  • It consists of four autonomous boards: the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board, the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board, and the Ethics and Medical Registration Board.
    • NMC also has a Medical Advisory Council, which advises the commission on matters related to medical education and practice.
  • NMC is responsible for conducting and overseeing major screening tests, such as NEET-UG, NEET-PG, and FMGE.
  • It also regulates the standards and quality of medical education and training, the registration and ethics of medical practitioners, and the assessment and rating of medical institutions.
  • NMC has also achieved the prestigious World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) recognition, which means that the medical degrees awarded by the NMC are recognized globally.
    • The WFME was founded in 1972 by the World Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and other organizations.