NMC cancels recognition of Mata Vaishno Devi medical college amid row over 84% Muslim admissions

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has revoked the recognition of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, Jammu and Kashmir with immediate effect after withdrawing the permission to run the MBBS programme, citing “serious” non-compliance with minimum standards required, as per the report by the PTI.

The NMC’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), on Tuesday, issued the withdrawal order, and directed the competent authority in Jammu and Kashmir to transfer all students admitted during the academic year 2025-26 to other medical colleges in the union territory as supernumerary seats, the report said.

In 2024, the medical institute applied to establish a new medical college with an intake of 50 MBBS seats for the academic year 2025-26. However, after issuance of the letter of permission, the NMC received multiple complaints alleging inadequate infrastructure, clinical material and qualified full-time teaching faculty, and resident doctors at the college, the report added.

“The complaints also pointed to an inadequate inpatient and outpatient load and poor bed-occupancy statistics, among other issues. Acting under section 28(7) of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, which empowers the MARB to conduct surprise evaluations of medical institutions without a prior notice, a team of assessors carried out an inspection at the college on January 2, 2026,” as per the report.

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50 MBBS seats withdrawn

As per the inspection report, the medical college was found to have extensive deficiencies across several parameters, including lack of faculty strength, clinical material and inadequate infrastructure, the PTI report stated.

“These included a 39-per cent deficiency in teaching faculty and a 65-per cent deficiency in tutors, demonstrators and senior residents against the prescribed requirement. The patient load and clinical services were also found to be far below norms, with OPD attendance of 182 at 1 pm against the required 400 and bed occupancy at 45 per cent against the required 80 per cent,” the report reads.

The MARB report further noted that intensive care units reportedly had only about 50 % average bed occupancy, while the average number of deliveries was approximately 25 per month, it added.

Furthermore, the inspection report also highlighted infrastructure related issues such as no student practical laboratories were established in some departments, including lecture theatres that did not conform to the minimum standard requirements, the PTI reported.

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Row over 42 MBBS seats to muslim students

“The library had only 744 books against a requirement of 1,500 and just two journals against the 15 required. The report also recorded the absence of an ART centre and facilities for the management of MDR-TB, as well as gross infrastructure deficiencies in some departments, including the lack of separate male and female wards,” it added.

The MARB further stated that the decision underscores the financial and regulatory consequences of non-compliance for the institution, as per the report.

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The NMC also stated that the institute had failed to meet the minimum standard requirements specified in the UGMSR-2024 for establishing and running a medical college. Therefore, the MARV has decided to withdraw the letter of permission with immediate effect, the PTI report said.

The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence has been facing protests from the BJP-led Snagharsh Samiti, and other various right-wing organisations over the admission of 42 muslim students, mostly from Kashmir, seven Hindu from Jammu and a Sikh candidate in its inaugural MBBS batch of 50 seats.

Condemning the agitation, Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday, said that the students were admitted on the basis of merit and stated that there was no point in holding the protests. He also suggested that the Vaishno medical college should be closed and students should be transferred to another medical college.