Health ministry asks state to ban College of Physicians and Surgeons Mumbai courses

The NMC had informed the health ministry that its PGMEB had issued a show cause notice to CPS for not following its regulatory provisions

Days after the National Medical Council (NMC) sought a ban on courses offered by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Mumbai (CPS), the union health ministry on July 19 wrote to the Maharashtra government’s medical education department, asking it to stop admissions.

Health ministry asks state to ban CPS Mumbai courses

The NMC had informed the health ministry earlier this month that its Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) had issued a show cause notice to CPS for not following its regulatory provisions. It said that any institute other than those included in the schedule of the NMC Act, 2019 has to get prior permission from NMC to start a course of recognised qualification and get it renewed at regular intervals, which CPS hadn’t done. The letter also said that the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) had inspected 120 institutes/hospitals offering CPS courses and found that two hospitals were closed, while 74 institutes refused inspection.

The CPS had claimed that the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956, and a letter from the health ministry to all states dated 24 May 2021 affirmed that its courses are recognised by the government of India. The autonomous body, which offers postgraduate diploma and fellowship courses through affiliated government and private medical institutes, also told NMC that it is an examination body like the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), whose medical qualifications are recognised.

The health ministry, in its letter to the Maharashtra government, said the NMC is the apex body to regulate medical education in the country. As such, the power to give a licence to institutes/hospitals other than those listed in the schedule of the NMC Act, 2019, to start a course of recognised qualification rests with the NMC, it said. The ministry also said that the Indian Medical Degrees Act, which empowers CPS to grant degrees, was repealed in 2016, which means “CPS has lost its validity to confer the degree.” Therefore, no course run by CPS “should be recognised for the purpose of the NMC Act, 2019…”

The health ministry also noted the NMC’s point that counselling for admission to the academic year 2023 in hospitals/institutes offering CPS courses is supposed to begin on July 9, 2024. This would be a violation of a Supreme Court order which stipulates that there can be no admission after the last date of joining, which was November 30, 2023, the letter said.

“In view of the aforesaid submissions, request of counselling for the admission for the academic year 2023 may not be considered,” the letter concluded.

The principal secretary of the Maharashtra medical education department, Dinesh Waghmare, said they will comply with the health ministry’s directions. CPS president Ajay Sambre Patil said he was shocked with the decision.

“We have not yet received this letter. On perusal of the letter, one can easily say that it is legally wrong. On the one hand, the respected under secretary says that CPS stands derecognised due to the Repealing and Amendment Act, 2016, and on the other hand, the same department recognises 10 CPS courses in 2018. Also, the same department directs the states and union territories to do admissions in 2021. We will definitely be taking a legal opinion in this matter and do the needful,” he added.