The National Medical Commission (NMC) will no longer process “routine” requests from faculty members and medical colleges seeking to determine the eligibility of candidates for appointment, promotion, or designation to teaching positions, according to a public notice issued by the Post Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB). More complicated cases must be referred through an institution and accompanied by a fee of ₹25,000 plus tax.

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Shifting the responsibility primarily to the appointing authority, the medical institution, university, or any other competent authority, the PGMEB maintained that the NMC will no longer issue eligibility certificates or clarifications in routine cases where the eligibility can be determined directly using the provisions of the Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025 (MIQFR).

The MIQFR has been in force since June 30, 2025 and already prescribes in detail the qualifications, teaching experience, research publication requirements, and training needed for various faculty positions. Determining eligibility is the responsibility of the concerned appointing authority, medical institution, or university, it said.

Ambiguous cases

“The Board will hereafter consider references only in cases involving ambiguity or difficulty in interpretation of regulatory provisions, equivalence of qualifications, transitional provisions, or matters requiring clarification in conjunction with other regulations,’’ the notice said.

Such references, it added, will have to be forwarded only through the dean, director, principal, or registrar of the institution or university concerned, and must clearly specify the provision of MIQFR-2025 that is unclear, along with supporting documents and justification.

A non-refundable processing fee of ₹25,000, plus applicable GST of 18%, will be payable for each reference. The notice specifies that references submitted directly by individuals will not be entertained or acknowledged, and the fee will not be refunded in such cases.

Institutional accountability

The notice, issued earlier this week, states that a large number of requests have been received from individual faculty members, medical colleges, universities, NBEMS-accredited hospitals and other stakeholders, seeking eligibility certificates or clarifications for appointment and promotion to teaching positions.

The Commission has said the measure is aimed at promoting institutional accountability in faculty appointments and promotions, reducing repetitive processing of routine eligibility requests, and minimising the administrative burden on the PGMEB arising from public grievances, RTI applications, and litigation.

Grievance redressal options

However, the notice makes a provision for applicants whose institutions do not forward their case to the NMC even 60 days after submission.

In such instances, the applicant may submit a representation directly to the PGMEB, along with a signed undertaking affirming the correctness of the facts, documentary evidence of the institution’s failure to forward the case, complete supporting documents, proof of the fee already paid to the institution, and a further payment of ₹25,000 plus GST to the NMC.

The competent authority concerned will be required to refund the fee collected earlier, for not having processed the application within 60 days, the notice said.

A separate provision allows applicants dissatisfied with a decision taken by their institution to seek a review by the NMC, within 30 days of the decision, on payment of ₹25,000 plus GST, along with the original application, the institution’s order, and supporting documents.

Immediate effect

The notice says that whether a case is routine or requires interpretation will be decided by the PGMEB/NMC, and that this decision will be final. Cases may either be decided by the Board itself or referred to an expert committee, to be constituted as required.

The provisions come into force with immediate effect. References and payments received before July 16 will be processed under the existing procedure, while all applications and payments received on or after that date will follow the new process, with refunds to be issued where applicable on submission of documentary evidence.

The notice was issued with the approval of the competent authority to all medical colleges and institutions and circulated to Directorates of Medical Education across States and Union Territories.