Teen dies as ‘doc’ gives him expired drip

Teen dies as ‘doc’ gives him expired drip 

Amarjeet Singh & Siddharth Pandeytnn 11.10.2026

Bhopal/Jabalpur: In an absolute shocker, an 18-year-old patient died after allegedly receiving an expired intravenous fluid from an unauthorised person at a private hospital in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district. 

The patient received the drip from a bottle that was found to have expired in Nov 2025, police said. The health department sealed the hospital after receiving word of the incident, while the accused was booked and taken into custody. The incident was reported from Ashwini Hospital at Khairi village of Belkharu in the Katangi police station area.

The patient, Shekhar Chaudhary, a resident of Bhatta Mohalla, visited the hospital on Oct 2 complaining of abdominal pain. He was discharged the following morning but developed a severe burning sensation in his hands and feet shortly after returning home. His family took him back to the hospital, where he died during treatment. 

On a complaint by his relatives, police launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Patan SDOP Ashutosh Dwivedi said CCTV footage examined as part of the probe showed that Dr Sarita Sahu, the hospital’s authorised operator, wasn’t around when Shekhar was treated. Instead, the accused, Satish Sahu, allegedly gave him the fluid despite having no medical degree or diploma authorising him to practise or administer medicines. 

Going over the medicines and devices used during treatment, the investigators found that the intravenous fluid bottle bore an expiry date of Nov 2025. Police seized the partially filled bottle, the drip set, a needle, an empty injection vial and medicine wrappers from the premises. The needle, too, bore a manufacturing date of Dec 2023 and an expiry date of Nov 2025.

The probe, as it unfolds, is likely to examine the course of treatment to the patient while also establishing the sequence of events leading up to his death. Meanwhile, the preliminary probe findings have raised serious concerns over the lack of qualified medical personnel and the handling of medicines at private healthcare facilities in rural areas. The police, however, are yet to establish a definitive medical cause of death.

Why MBBS seats under ‘freedom fighter’quota, 79 years after independence?

Why MBBS seats under ‘freedom fighter’quota, 79 years after independence? With Fake Certificates, An Adoption Claim & One Beneficiary Born In 2008, The Question Is No Longer JustWho Qualifies But How Long The Quota Can Continue | Vyapam Whistleblower Seeks A Six-Year Audit 

P.Naveen@timesofindia.com 10.10.2026 TOI BHOPAL

Bhopal: Seventy-nine years after Independence, Madhya Pradesh’s 3% freedom fighter quota for medical admissions is under scrutiny. Seven certificates were reportedly found fake during the 2025 MBBS/BDS counselling, and the admissions were cancelled. The admission rules provide for eligible sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of recognised freedom fighters, subject to prescribed documentation. The freedom fighter must be registered in the Collectorate concerned, and the prescribed certificate has to be issued by the competent authority. The provisions available do not expressly extend the benefit to great-grandchildren or later generations. Yet one beneficiary’s date of birth is listed as 2008, 61 years after Independence. Age alone does not establish ineligibility or wrongdoing, but the case has brought the verification process under the scanner. 

Of the seven certificates found fake among candidates admitted in the first round of counselling, six were for MBBS and one for BDS. The category had 66 seats, of which 36 were allotted and 22 candidates took admission. Authorities also sought verification of other certificates after a suspicious document surfaced. The issue has also reached the criminal justice system. Shivpuri police registered an FIR on Dec 31, 2025, after a freedom fighter certificate submitted during the first round of NEETUG 2025-26 counselling came under scrutiny. 

The aspirant had sought admission under the category at Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Medical College, Shivpuri. The college sought verification from the Collector, Chhatarpur, and the FIR alleges that the certificate was fake. The case has been registered under sections 318(4), 338, 336(3) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. In another instance, a student has secured an MBBS seat by claiming his father had been ‘adopted’ by a freedom fighter. The certificate was reportedly verified by Gwalior authorities. However, the available provisions do not expressly clarify whether a candidate  can claim the benefit through an adopted parent or whether a biological relationship is required. 

The question is whether a legally valid adoption makes the candidate a grandson of the freedom fighter for the purposes of the quota. The courts have repeatedly stressed the need for documentary proof of both the freedom fighter’s status and the claimant’s relationship. In Krati vs State of Madhya Pradesh, MP high court had rejected a claim based on a grandfather after finding that the material produced did not establish the required Freedom Fighter status and that the prescribed Madhya Pradesh certification was not available. In Kushal Saxena vs State of Madhya Pradesh, the court had rejected a claim based on a grandfather registered as a freedom fighter in Uttar Pradesh, even though the candidate himself was a resident of MP. 

The cases show that residence, a claimed family relationship or a certificate from another authority cannot by themselves establish entitlement to the MP quota. The original freedom fighter record and the prescribed chain of relationship have to satisfy the applicable rules. 

Whistleblower seeks six-year audit: Vyapam whistleblower Dr Anand Rai has sought details of certificates and admissions for the past six years, saying the entire system needs to be examined. “How is this possible? Many more would come saying their fathers were adopted by freedom fighters. It’s a scam which needs investigation,” Rai said. He said govt should conduct a comprehensive audit instead of examining cases individually. He has sought district-wise information on freedom fighter certificates and medical admissions, including the candidates who used the certificates, the relationship claimed with the original freedom fighter, certificates rejected during verification, certificates later cancelled and cases referred to police. The data, he said, should be matched with original Collectorate registers, freedom fighter records and pension records. Such a comparison would establish whether the family relationship claimed at the time of admission existed in the original govt records or was added or established later. 

The audit could also show whether the adoption-based claim and the 2008 case are isolated instances or whether wider weaknesses exist in the verification system. Govt review: MP’s Director of Medical Education Dr Aruna Kumar said govt was considering the category. “The govt is thinking over the freedom fighters category. A  decision will be taken once the current admission season is over,” she said. Asked how these certificates are verified, she said, “We don’t do that; it’s up to the deans to verify it.” Why the age pattern calls for a probe: The numbers alone do not prove wrongdoing, but they raise questions that only a probe can answer, says Dr Anand Rai. A person who took part in the freedom movement by 1947 was most likely born between the 1900s and the 1920s. Their children would typically have been born between the 1930s and the 1960s, and their grandchildren between the 1960s and the 1990s. 

A candidate sitting NEET in 2025 is usually 17 to 25 years old, born roughly between 2000 and 2008. On this count, most such candidates would be great-grandchildren, a generation the rules do not expressly cover. A grandchild born around 2008 would require a freedom fighter born in the 1920s, whose child was born in the 1960s or later, and whose own child arrived in the mid-2000s. That chain is possible, but stretched. It cannot be settled by looking at a certificate alone. Only the original Collectorate registers, freedom fighter records, pension files and family documents can show whether each link in the chain existed in the govt’s own records or was added later. 

“That is why a probe is needed. It would establish whether the 2008 case is a rare exception, since late fatherhood, large age gaps and adoptions can all produce long generational gaps, or whether claims that look improbable on a generational count have been passing verification year after year. If the probe finds the chains hold, the system is cleared. If it finds gaps, the question of which eligible candidates lost seats follows,” asks Dr Rai.

NMC bars hosps from using AI for promos Move Aimed To Protect Patients From Misleading Claims

NMC bars hosps from using AI for promos Move Aimed To Protect Patients From Misleading Claims 

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 08.10.2026

New Delhi: Doctors and hospitals cannot use AI to create patient testimonials, clinical outcomes or promotional content, nor can they pay to manipulate rankings like those on search engines and apps, under new ethical advertising guidelines issued by National Medical Commission (NMC) on Tuesday. 

The guidelines, effective immediately, come in the backdrop of a Supreme Court petition seeking tighter regulation of corporate hospital advertising. They aim to curb commercialisation of medical practice and protect patients from misleading claims, while bringing AI-generated content, influencer marketing and search-engine manipulation under the medical ethics framework. 

NMC has specifically barred registered medical practitioners (RMPs) and hospitals from using AI-generated or AI-assisted content to advertise their services, solicit patients or disseminate misleading or unverifiable information about diagnoses, treatments or outcomes. 

AI cannot be used to create synthetic patient testimonials, voices, clinical outcomes or fake endorsements, or misrepresent the nature or quality of medical services. In another significant provision, doctors cannot pay for or manipulate search rankings, visibility or algorithms to create a misleading impression of their professional standing. They also cannot make unverified claims such as “best”, “number one”, “most trusted”, “guaranteed cures” or “100% success”. The guidelines also target the growing use of influencers and digital marketing agencies in healthcare. Doctors cannot engage influencers, advertising agencies or online platforms in arrangements involving payment linked to procuring or referring patients. Discounts and inducements are also restricted. Doctors and hospitals cannot offer limited-period discounts, coupons, gift packages or referral benefits if these are likely to encourage unnecessary consultations, diagnostic investigations or treatment. 

However, NMC allows doctors to use social media for factual, non-promotional health education, disease information and public-health communication, provided they do not promote their practice or commercial interests. Hospitals can similarly share objective, verifiable details about their location, departments, facilities, services, accreditation, charges and contact information. Patient testimonials, before-and-after images and treatment-success claims that could create unrealistic expectations or mislead are also prohibited. NMC has prescribed graded penalties, from a warning and mandatory ethics training for a first violation to censure and monetary penalty for a second, suspension for three to six months for a third, and six to 12 months for serious violations. Repeated violations can lead to removal from the medical register for one to three years

Service postgraduates get temporary postings without counselling

Service postgraduates get temporary postings without counselling

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI  08.10.2026

Nearly 800-odd service postgraduates (PG), who completed MD/MS, have been given temporary postings in Tamil Nadu without counselling or following seniority.

Government doctors said this was a departure from the practice followed in the past few years, when vacancy lists were notified and counselling was held for posting service PGs. However, health officials said the temporary postings were made only for salary purposes. On October 5, the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Research issued orders temporarily assigning service PGs to posts in government medical college hospitals/affiliated institutions under the DME, and to institutions under the Directorates of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) and Public Health (DPH) and Preventive Medicine.

However, the posts and institutions were not specified for those assigned to DMS and DPH institutions.

The communication said transfer counselling for service PGs would be scheduled later and prior information would be given. The move has, however, caused concern among a section of doctors.

“Usually, vacancies in DME and DMS institutions are notified in advance when service PGs near course completion. Transparent counselling is held and postings are based on Civil Medical List (CML) seniority. This year, all of a sudden, the DME issued temporary postings without notifying vacancies or counselling. CML seniority has also not been followed, with juniors posted in DME institutions while seniors have been posted in DMS institutions,” a doctor said.

Doctors said the temporary postings and delay in transfer counselling could affect salary disbursement as it usually takes four to five months for doctors to receive their first month salary at the initial place of posting.

Some doctors recalled a similar situation in 2019, when temporary postings were issued for service PGs without a regular counselling process. They said it took nearly three years to obtain posts on the basis of CML seniority.

The Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) has objected to the move.

Its president, P. Saminathan, said even temporary postings should be made through counselling while maintaining CML seniority.

“This is not about 10 or 15 doctors but a massive number of 800-odd service PGs. CML seniority has not been maintained”, he said.

Junior doctors have been posted to DME institutions, while doctors who are senior as per CML have been posted to DMS and DPH institutions. This will lead to complications in promotion counselling for associate professors in the future,” he said.

A senior health official, however, said that the temporary postings were issued only for salary purposes. DME officials said the arrangement was temporary, for a month or two, until regular counselling is conducted after transfer counselling of assistant professors.

Pressure to perform weighs on medical students, 77% of those surveyed stressed

Pressure to perform weighs on medical students, 77% of those surveyed stressed 

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 07.10.2026

New Delhi: The pressure to perform, fear of poor marks and the worry about not being able to answer teachers weigh heavily on the minds of medical students, 77% of whom have shown moderate to high stress in a New Delhi study. The study comes amid growing regulatory focus on student well-being. 

In Aug, the National Medical Commission (NMC) directed medical colleges to comply with Supreme Court directions on reporting student suicides and unnatural deaths and maintain updated institutional records. Published in the Indian Heart Journal, the study assessed 406 MBBS students across all four years at a govt medical college in New Delhi. 

Of them, 54.43% reported moderate stress and 22.66% high stress. The research involved teams from GB Pant Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Maulana Azad Medical College and IIIT-Delhi. “What was revealing was that more than three-fourths of the students had moderate-to-high stress. Asking a student whether they are stressed is not enough. We need to systematically assess stress and build strategies into medical education to help students deal with it,” said Dr Mohit Gupta, lead author of the study. 

He added that a more inclusive, practical and balanced curriculum, with scope for recreation, could help reduce academic stress. The pressure to do well was the biggest source of stress. Students also reported worrying about not being able to answer teachers’ questions, poor marks and the vast coursework. Many said they felt their efforts were not recognised or that they were not good enough. The findings also echo recommendations of NMC’s national task force on mental health and well-being of medical students, which called for accessible counselling, crisis intervention, mental-health services and greater institutional support. 

“We need to make our students intellectually strong, but we also need to make them emotionally stable. Our education system cannot focus only on academic achievement. We also need to create an environment where students can seek help, manage stress and remain emotionally resilient,” Gupta said. 

Second-year students had the highest proportion of high stress, at 30.11%, though researchers said this could reflect differences between batches. Overall, heart-rate variability (HRV) did not differ significantly between students with mild, moderate and high stress. Final-year students had 29.1% lower RMSSD, an HRV measure, than second-year students after adjustment, but the pattern was inconsistent across years and does not show progressive changes in cardiac autonomic function. 

The researchers said regular monitoring of student stress and structured institutional support are needed, particularly around academic and teaching-learning pressures. They also called for longer-term studies to understand how stress and cardiac autonomic measures change during medical education. The study was conducted between May and Nov 2025 among students aged 18-25 years. As a single-centre, cross-sectional study, it cannot establish causation or represent all medical students in India.

EXCLUSIVE: NMC not in favour of ‘one nation, one stipend’ for medical interns, but states can fix amount

EXCLUSIVE: NMC not in favour of ‘one nation, one stipend’ for medical interns, but states can fix amount

Proposal pending with NMC seeks to examine stipend parity, non-payment for UG MBBS interns across govt and private medical colleges.

Sneha Richhariya

05 October, 2026 08:30 am IST

Intern doctors hold placards during a protest to demand an increase in their monthly internship stipend, at GMC Srinagar on 8 September, 2026 | ANI

New Delhi: There cannot be a fixed pan India stipend amount for medical interns, but states can explore fixing a stipend amount, made uniformly applicable to all medical colleges in that state, a senior National Medical Commission (NMC) official told ThePrint, adding that the state policy will be subject to interpretation of the statutes and various judgments passed by the courts from time to time.

The proposal, pending with the NMC since December 2025, seeks to examine stipend parity and non-payment of stipends for undergraduate MBBS interns across government and private medical colleges.

Separately, resident doctors’ bodies and medical care activists have demanded a uniform minimum stipend across states and institutions under the broader “One Nation, One Stipend” campaign.

On the demand for nationwide stipend parity, the NMC official said, “One stipend cannot be given across the country. That is difficult because smaller states, whose financial allocations are lower, cannot give such a big stipend. The stipend amount has to be decided by the respective states only and it is exclusively within their regulatory domain.”

The NMC recognises the disparity in stipend payments to medical interns, the official said, adding, “The broader principle should be that no intern should be left without stipend, including foreign medical graduates (FMGs) undergoing compulsory internships in India.”

The comments come after the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare wrote to the NMC on 6 November 2025 and sent a reminder in December, asking it to examine the issue of stipend parity and reported non-payment of stipends to some FMGs. Concerns were also raised over large differences in payments between government and private medical colleges.

At present, the NMC’s Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) Regulations, 2021 say medical interns should be paid a stipend “as fixed by the appropriate authority applicable to the institution/University or State”.

Simply put, this means the NMC rules do not set one fixed amount for every medical intern. The amount can be decided by the state or the authority applicable to the medical college. However, the NMC official said the commission has issued clear-cut instructions that there cannot be any disparity in the stipend paid by an institution to an FMG and an Indian medical graduate (IMG).

The issue took on another layer of complication after the NMC’s Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 included a provision saying junior residents (JRs) should receive a stipend on par with junior residents in a state government or central government medical institution in the state or Union Territory where their college is located. This meant that a junior resident in a private medical college would be entitled to the same stipend as a junior resident in a state-run medical college in the same state or Union Territory.

In February 2026, the NMC’s Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) said any change to the 2021 regulations would require a statutory process and consultation with the concerned authorities. The issue has remained unresolved even as medical interns in several states have protested over low and varied stipends.

In Jammu and Kashmir, for instance, MBBS and BDS interns began an indefinite protest on 31 August, seeking that their stipend be hiked to Rs 30,000 from Rs 12,300. In Madhya Pradesh, medical interns demanded an increase from Rs 14,337 to Rs 30,000. The state subsequently raised the stipend to Rs 21,500.

Uttar Pradesh doubled the monthly stipend for MBBS and BDS interns in government medical colleges from Rs 12,000 to Rs 25,000, while Bihar increased it from Rs 20,000 to Rs 27,000. Uttarakhand also raised its stipend to Rs 25,000.

Apart from states paying different amounts, some interns have also complained of non-payment or much lower amounts than the applicable state rate.

NMC data for 2025 showed that 60 of 555 medical colleges had not paid stipends, while several others reported payments of less than Rs 5,000 a month.

The Supreme Court has also been examining the issue of unpaid stipends. In an October 2025 order, the court questioned the NMC over delays in taking action against colleges that had not complied with its directions on stipend information, observing that the regulator appeared to be “dragging its feet”.

The issue has also come up in cases involving FMGs, or doctors who obtained their medical degrees outside India and have to complete a compulsory internship in India to obtain registration to practise. In February 2026, the Supreme Court directed authorities to pay pending stipends to a group of FMGs who had completed their internships at Aligarh Muslim University, holding that similarly placed FMGs could not be treated differently from those who had received stipends.

The senior NMC official told ThePrint that only recently a monetary penalty was imposed on eight institutions by the Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) for failing to furnish stipend-related information. The Commission would be taking strict action against institutes that do not follow the applicable stipend rules, the official said.

Adding, “We are going to be more vigilant and more strict. We will be taking disciplinary action against institutes that violate the stipend rules, because there is a clear-cut direction from the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The penalty will not only be financial. If an institute does not comply, its accreditation may also be affected.”

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)

https://theprint.in/health/exclusive-nmc-not-in-favour-of-one-nation-one-stipend-for-medical-interns-but-states-can-fix-amount/3061763/

Students get 20L fee shock after counselling allotment at city univ

Students get 20L fee shock after counselling allotment at city univ

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 06.10.2026

Chennai: Students allotted govt-quota seats on merit at Sri Venkateswaraa University said they were asked to pay an annual fee of 20 lakh, more than three times the 6.4 lakh fee published before the first round of seat allotment. Admissions to medical colleges in the state — govt-quota seats in govt colleges and all seats in self-financing colleges and state private universities — are conducted by the state selection committee through single-window counselling, based on NEET merit and reservation rules.

Private universities and self-financing colleges surrender 50%-65% of their seats for admission under the govt quota. Under the present structure, annual MBBS tuition, fixed by the fee committee, ranges from about 4.35 lakh to 5.40 lakh for govt-quota seats in self-financing colleges and state private universities. For management-quota seats, annual fees range from 15 lakh to 16.20 lakh. Before the first round of counselling in the second week of Aug, the selection committee listed Sri Venkateswaraa University’s total fee at 6.4 lakh, with an additional 2.25 lakh to 3.35 lakh for students opting for hostel accommodation. 

Students said they locked in their choices based on this amount. However, after students locked in their choices and before the first-round results were announced, the selection committee revised the fee structure to 11.5 lakh, excluding hostel charges. The university subsequently revised the fee twice on its website: to 21.9 lakh on Sept 30 and to 23.9 lakh on Monday. This is yet to be updated on the selection committee portal. 

In an advertisement announcing a uniform fee for govt and management-quota seats, the university said it was authorised, under a Supreme Court order in SLP No. 29551/2026 dated Sept 31, to collect 20 lakh as MBBS tuition from govt and management-quota students and 25 lakh from NRI-quota students for 2026-27, as fixed by its fee committee. 

Students admitted in the first two rounds were asked to pay the additional fee or opt for an upgrade and seek a seat in another college in subsequent rounds. “I joined this college because I could not afford fees in deemed universities. Now, the fee is on a par with them. I do not know if I will get a seat in round 3 or 4,” said a student. 

Several students said they had taken education loans based on the initially displayed fee. Banks had sanctioned loans for that amount and were unwilling to increase the limit after the revision, they said. Student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam said the selection committee must intervene. “It must either tell the college that the order cannot be implemented retrospectively or place students in colleges of their choice before the third round,” he said. He added that the Selection Committee’s webpage carried no mention of the revised fee. State health department officials said they were working with the legal team to move the Supreme Court.

MBBS Overseas: Indian students eyeing medicine in Georgia need to check licensing rules carefully

 MBBS Overseas: Indian students eyeing medicine in Georgia need to check licensing rules carefully

TNNPublished: Sep 29, 2026, 17:59 IST Updated: Sep 30, 2026, 14:08 IST

Indian students planning to study medicine in Georgia need to look beyond the advertised six-year course and check whether they will be legally eligible to practise medicine in Georgia after graduation, a requirement that could determine whether they can eventually register as doctors in India.

Under Clause 4(b) of the National Medical Commission (NMC)’s Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations, 2021, a foreign medical graduate must possess licence to practise medicine in the country where the medical degree was obtained, at par with the licence granted to citizens of that country.

Georgia currently has around 21 medical universities where Indian students are pursuing medicine, with an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 Indian students enrolling each year.

"If we look at the six-year medical education cycle, that means roughly 30,000 to 40,000 student enrolments across successive batches. A large part of this cohort has enrolled after the November 2021 FMGL Regulations came into force. If there is uncertainty around the licensing, internship or registration pathway, the medical education and future careers of tens of thousands of Indian students could potentially be affected by non-compliance with the FMGL Regulations, 2021," said an educational consultant.

Documents from the Embassy of India in Yerevan, which also covers Georgia, indicate a distinction between completing the six-year medical programme and obtaining an independent licence to practise medicine. A revised embassy advisory dated September 29, 2022, said graduates of the six-year MD programme could work as ‘junior doctors’ in a supervised, non-independent role. For independent practice, they would need to clear the relevant certification examination and complete residency/postgraduate training.

An April 2024 RTI response from the embassy said postgraduate education in a specialised field is mandatory for obtaining a licence to practise in Armenia and Georgia, with the duration ranging from one to four years. A June 2024 embassy communication further said Georgia grants a licence at par with citizens only after successful completion of a postgraduate programme and knowledge of the Georgian language.

This makes it important for prospective students to distinguish between a medical degree and a licence permitting independent practice.

After the six-year MD, a graduate may have junior-doctor status, while independent practice requires additional examinations and postgraduate training. Depending on the specialisation, the overall pathway could therefore extend substantially beyond the advertised six-year degree.

NMC’s Undergraduate Medical Education Board had, in an August 8, 2023, public notice, advised students to independently verify the duration of the course, medium of instruction, syllabus, clinical training and internship requirements before enrolling in a foreign medical institution.

It also warned that discrepancies could affect eligibility for registration in India.

"Regulation 4(b) requires a medical graduate to have a legal licence to practise medicine independently. Therefore if Georgia requires a graduate to complete postgraduate training or certification before independent practice, then simply becoming a “Junior Doctor” after the 6-year medical degree would not be sufficient to meet the requirement of regulation 4(b)," he added.

A Georgian Embassy notice issued in India in August 2024 described MD graduates as junior doctors authorised to perform their duties under a certified specialist. It claimed that they were fully equivalent to MBBS graduates for that purpose. However, the question under FMGL 4(b) is whether that status amounts to the level of practice and licensing required under the regulation.

The NMC’s response to a CPGRAMS grievance dated September 24, 2026, provides a further indication of the regulatory concern.

It said junior-doctor status would satisfy Clause 4(b) only if it legally permits practice at the required level. If independent practice in Georgia is possible only after postgraduate certification, junior doctor status alone would not satisfy the requirement. The response also said the determination depends on Georgian law and licensing requirements.

Students who joined foreign medical programmes before and after November 18, 2021 may also fall under different regulatory frameworks. Those joining after the FMGL Regulations came into force will be among the cohorts whose eligibility under the newer rules will become increasingly relevant when they seek registration in India.

Parents seek cerebral palsy help too late: Docs

Parents seek cerebral palsy help too late: Docs 

Vivek.Chauhan@timesofindia.com 02.10.2026

Lucknow: Parents often believe cerebral palsy (CP), a condition caused by damage to the developing brain that affects movement and muscle control, is contagious, inherited, caused by parental actions or untreatable. Such misconceptions delay specialist care, experts said on the eve of World CP Day. Prof Vikas Verma, head of Paediatric Orthopaedics at KGMU, said many families seek specialist care only after a child turns four or five, delaying rehabilitation. 

Verma said the department sees 15 to 20 children with CP daily in its outpatient clinic. He said 80% of children requiring rehabilitation should be brought to specialists early, but many arrive late because their families believe little can be done. “In nearly 7 out of 10 cases, children can lead near-normal lives if they receive treatment early,” Verma said. Prof RK Garg, head of Neurology at KGMU, and Verma said CP is a brain injury that affects movement, posture and balance but does not progressively worsen. Verma said the condition is not infectious and cannot spread from one child to another. 

People believe CP always develops due to lack of oxygen during childbirth. “While oxygen deprivation can be a contributing factor, the condition can result from several causes affecting brain development before, during or shortly after birth,” said experts. Another misconception is that treatment is impossible because brain injury cannot be reversed. Verma said physiotherapy, supportive braces and, in some cases, surgery can improve movement and address problems affecting muscles and joints. 

Doctors stressed that CP does not necessarily mean intellectual disability; associated learning, communication, vision, hearing or seizure-related problems vary from child to child. They advised parents to seek medical evaluation if a child has difficulty controlling the head, sitting, standing or walking, uses one side of body more than the other, or shows unusual stiffness or floppiness.

‘Med college makes hostel stay mandatory, seeks extra 8.2L’

‘Med college makes hostel stay mandatory, seeks extra 8.2L’ 

29.09.2026

Chennai: Students allotted seats at private medical colleges in the state have written to Directorate of Medical Education, saying they were told after allotment that the MBBS programme was fully residential and would cost an extra 8.2 lakh. 

“We received complaints that students were asked to pay excess fees, including hostel charges. Complaints were forwarded to the fee committee for further action,” said selection committee secretary Dr V Lokanayaki. The fee fixation committee decides annual tuition fees for private institutions, excluding deemed universities. 

For 2026, MBBS tuition fees in private colleges range from 4.35 lakh to 5.4 lakh for govt-quota seats in self-financing colleges and state private universities, and from 15 lakh to 16.2 lakh for management seats. 

Parents said Kanyakumari Medical Mission Medical College and Research Centre made hostel accommodation compulsory while admissions were under way. “My niece chose this college because she can stay at my place. Her travel time will be just half an hour. Why should she stay at a hostel for 8.27 lakh? If they had informed us about this before counselling, we would not have opted for a seat here,” said S Sarala. 

The college, a constituent of St Joseph University, told parents that it has made it mandatory for MBBS students to stay in approved hostels for the four-and-a-half-year course and the one-year internship. Attempts to reach the college administration by TOI were unsuccessful. 

“Doctors at the college told parents the policy was intended to ensure academic continuity, clinical training, safety, and discipline. Parents were surprised by this decision when they came to pay the fees,” said student counsellor Manickavel Arumugam. 

The National Medical Commission said colleges cannot make hostel accommodation mandatory. Senior officials confirmed that while colleges must provide accommodation, students are not obliged to live on campus or pay hostel fees if they live elsewhere. 

“Complaints are filed every year. The selection committee forwards them to the fee committee, but no action is taken. Colleges then target students who complain. The selection committee must amend its rules to gain powers to act on complaints,” Arumugam said. 

Times News Network 

https://epaper.indiatimes.com/timesepaper/publication-the-times-of-india,city-chennai.cms 1/2 complaints received 29/09/2026, 06:03 

Soft by name, steely by nature: IAF doc posted in Knp secures NEET PG AIR 2

Soft by name, steely by nature: IAF doc posted in Knp secures NEET PG AIR 2

Arvind.Chauhan@timesofindia.com 28.09.2026

Lucknow: When the NEET PG 2026 results were declared on Sept 24, Sqn Ldr Pallakshi Prasad (28), a medical officer posted at Air Force Station Kanpur, drew widespread praise after securing All India Rank 2. 

Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja congratulated the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) alumna from the C3 batch, calling the result a proud moment for the Armed Forces Medical Services. 

For Pallakshi, whose name means “soft,” the achievement follows years of regimented preparation alongside demanding military postings. “I always knew I wanted to become a doctor,” she said, crediting her parents’support despite both being engineers. Born in Ranchi and raised in Hyderabad, she studied at Delhi Public School before clearing NEET UG 2016 with an All India Rank of 1,312 without taking a drop year. With limited options due to home-state admission rules, she applied to AFMC at her mother’s urging. Her mother, Shyamlee Prasad, is a practice head at Infosys. 

Pallakshi entered AFMC after securing girls’ merit rank 3 and later graduated sixth in overall merit in her batch. “I fell in love with the AFMC campus and everything it stood for. By the time I graduated, I didn’t feel like an outsider to the uniform anymore. Taking permanent commission was a natural decision,” she said. Commissioned into the Indian Navy on May 15, 2021, she served for nearly two and a half years as a medical officer on a warship before moving to the Indian Air Force in 2025.

Jamia’s first PG dental surgery batch asked to sign nostrike undertaking

Jamia’s first PG dental surgery batch asked to sign nostrike undertaking

27.09.2026

Sugandha.Jha1@timesofindia.com 

New Delhi: Candidates allotted seats in Jamia Millia Islamia’s first batch of Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) this year are being asked to sign an undertaking that prohibits them from participating in or associating themselves with any strike or activity deemed “prejudicial to the interests, discipline, peace and functioning” of the university. The undertaking, which is part of the documents required for completing admission formalities, comes alongside a Rs 10-lakh bond that MDS students are required to furnish if they leave the course midway. 

The bond requires the student and the surety to pay Rs 10 lakh, with 15% interest till realisation, if the student withdraws from the course “for any reason whatsoever”. Jamia, however, said the undertaking “will have no bearing” on admission. The university said MDS seats were being allotted through counselling by Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) on the basis of NEET-MDS merit and the undertaking was merely an admission formality. 

“In case someone does not sign the undertaking, it does not mean that admission will not be granted as seats are allotted by MCC,” chief public relations officer Saima Saeed told TOI. The bond, Saeed said, is intended to compensate for the public investment in infrastructure, faculty, manpower and clinical resources and the loss of a PG seat once the programme has commenced. It is intended to ensure that scarce MDS seats are utilised responsibly, she added. 

However, Jamia’s newly framed ordinance for the course, approved by its executive council in June, says admissions will be in accordance with the rules prescribed by National Dental Commission (NDC) and the university. The undertaking and bond are among the documents prescribed by the ordinance, but NDC doesn’t ask for them. Explaining the no-strike clause, Saeed said it was intended to maintain academic discipline in the demanding postgraduate programme. 

“As these are rigorous courses, attendance is a major requirement and indulging in protest, etc., can impact that. That clause is there to ensure general discipline and maintain a cordial and healthy environment,” she said.

Jamia claimed that no other course had a no-strike clause. Its Bachelor of Dental Surgery students, however, are required to furnish a Rs 3-lakh discontinuation bond. Such bonds are also introduced by several other institutions. Maulana Azad Dental College has a Rs 10-lakh bond, while Aligarh Muslim University and Banaras Hindu University have bonds of Rs 8 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, respectively. 

The PG programme is a sought-after choice among candidates appearing for the highly competitive NEET-MDS examination, Jamia said.

High medical education fee a major hurdle for students

High medical education fee a major hurdle for students 

26.09.2026

For Heer Nai, the choice was between a medical seat and an affordable alternative. “She secured a seat at NHL Municipal Medical College but did not want to pursue medicine at a private college where the annual fee could have been around Rs 24 lakh. She has instead opted for Pharm D at LM Pharmacy, where the annual fee is about Rs 2 lakh,” said Yagnesh, Heer’s father. 

“NEET score is good, but there has to be a budget for medical education. We cannot afford it.” Others are holding on for the third round. Deven Yatri, who secured a seat at SMIMER with a NEET score of 335, is hoping for an upgrade because a fee of around Rs 24 lakh a year for management-quota seats in Surat is unaffordable. Hitanshi Kalyani, who scored 322 in NEET in the open category, also did not confirm her seat at Kalol Medical College, after being offered a management-quota option costing more than Rs 24 lakh a year. 

“I run a scrap business. My daughter plans to add more general-quota options in the third round as the fees are not affordable,” said Ram Prakash Kalyani, her father. Some students also cited the long duration of medical education. For some families, these factors add to the financial pressure of choosing medicine.

NEET-PG: Only 114 cross 600 mark

NEET-PG: Only 114 cross 600 mark 

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 26.09.2026

New Delhi: Only 114 candidates scored 600 or more out of 720 in NEET-PG 2026, with the highest score at 641. A score of 601 was enough to secure a place in the top 100, according to the detailed result data released by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences. 

The top three ranks went to candidates scoring 641, 633 and 626, while four candidates at ranks 4 to 7 scored 625 each. The number of candidates rose sharply as the score cut-off fell. 

As many as 2,614 candidates scored 550 or more, while 12,111 scored 500 or above. The number rose to 29,130 for 450 or more and 51,729 for scores of 400 or above. The score-to-rank gap widened sharply at lower scores. 

A score of 570 corresponded to rank 1,000, 532 to rank 5,000, 508 to rank 10,000 and 403 to rank 50,000. The scores are not directly comparable with last year’s results, as NEET-PG 2025 was scored out of 800, compared with 720 this year. The detailed result also showed 194 candidates with scores below zero. The median score was 262, while the mean was 274.4 among records carrying numerical scores. The detailed result contain 2,73,096 records, including 7,136 candidates marked absent and one result withheld.

NEET-PG 2026 result out: 2.6L candidates get ranks

 NEET-PG 2026 result out: 2.6L candidates get ranks

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 25.09.2026

New Delhi: National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) on Thursday declared NEET-PG 2026 result, with 2,65,960 candidates having appeared in the exam held in two phases this year.

The result includes candidates’ raw scores and overall NEET-PG ranks. The qualifying percentile criteria remain unchanged from last year.

For General and EWS categories, qualifying level was 50th percentile, with cut-off score at 262 marks out of 720 this year. 

It was 45th percentile and 244 marks for General Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD), and 40th percentile and 226 marks for SC, ST and OBC candidates, including PwBD candidates from these categories.

Scorecards can be downloaded from NBEMS website on or after Oct 1 and will be available for six months. The answer key will also be published on or after Oct 1.

HC: If there can be housewives, there can be house husbands

HC: If there can be housewives, there can be house husbands

 K.Kaushik@timesofindia.com  25.09.2026

Madurai: Madras high court endorsed Thursday the idea of “house husbands” as a way to ease pressures on career-oriented women, saying “homemaker” is gender-neutral and such a shift could help preserve marriages. “If there can be housewives, there can be house husbands also. Let this become a new normal, as it would help preserve the institution of marriage and family,” a bench of Justice GR Swaminathan and Justice MD Sumathi said Thursday while dissolving a doctor-couple’s marriage by mutual consent.

 “Unlike the modern western societies, in Bharathiya culture, it is the family and not the individual which is the foundational unit,” the bench said. The judges said traditionally, husbands were responsible for financial resources while wives handled domestic responsibilities, and both roles deserved equal respect. 

But women had increasingly become career-oriented over the past half-century, they said. “We note that this is taking a toll in many relationships. Marriage is not proving to be a win win proposition for career women,” the bench said. It added that some women viewed marriage as an impediment to their careers and chose to remain unmarried, suggesting that husbands opting to become homemakers could “probably” help remedy the situation. “House wives are not ‘little women’,” it said, referring to Louisa May Alcott’s novel and her line, “I would rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe.”

Court: Medical boards can’t reassess certified disability

Court: Medical boards can’t reassess certified disability 

Ritika Singh Sisodiyatnn 24.09.2026

Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench has held that the percentage of disability recorded in a valid disability certificate issued by a competent authority cannot be reassessed or altered by a medical assessment board constituted by National Medical Commission (NMC). 

The court clarified that the role of medical assessment board is limited to determining whether a candidate is capable of completing the MBBS course with reasonable accommodation and assistive devices and does not extend to re-determining the percentage of disability certified by the competent authority. 

A bench of Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Abdhesh Kumar Chaudhary, while deciding three petitions filed by Shubham Mishra, Saurabh Rana and Gulfam Ahmed together, quashed the findings of the Medical Assessment Board and the Appellate Medical PwBD Assessment Board, which had declared the candidates ineligible for reservation under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category. 

The court directed authorities to include the three candidates as eligible PwBD candidates in the remaining NEET-UG 2026 counselling and consider them for seat allocation in accordance with their PwBD All India Rank and the applicable counselling rules. 

Mishra was issued a certificate showing 45% permanent disability by the CMO, Sultanpur. He was issued the disability certificate and UDID card on account of a chronic neurological condition (Bell’s palsy). He secured PwBD All India Rank 948 in NEET-UG 2026. However, the board, in its certificate dated Aug 11, reduced his disability from 45% to 20% and declared him ineligible for PwBD reservation. 

The Appellate Medical Board also found him ineligible under the PwBD category on Aug 21. The HC held that both boards had exceeded their jurisdiction by reassessing the percentage of disability.

Docs slam interview process for DME post

Docs slam interview process for DME post 

20.09.2026

Chennai: Admissions to UG medical and allied health studies are underway, and courses are now commencing at govt medical colleges across the state, but still the post of director of medical education, who holds administrative control of all medical colleges, has been lying vacant since July 31. 

While officials say selection is in progress, doctors ‘ bodies such as the Service Doctors and Postgraduate Doctors’Association, have objected to the health department’s interview-based process for selecting the next director. The association says the mandatory promotion panel was not published before the exercise. In a press release, the association general secretary Dr A Ramalingam said 10 medical college deans were interviewed for the post, which fell vacant after former DME Dr Suganthy Rajakumari retired in July. 

“Appointments in the department were usually made by preparing a promotion panel every year, based on the eligibility and seniority of doctors as on March 15. The panel would then be used to grant promotions and make appointments to senior administrative posts,” he said. The association urged the state govt to appoint an eligible senior doctor as DME on the basis of promotion panel. It also demanded that promotions to professor and associate professor posts be completed annually without delay. TNN

Tamil Nadu set to get back 40 vacant super speciality seats

Tamil Nadu set to get back 40 vacant super speciality seats

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI. 19.09.2026

After surrendering 151 unfilled super speciality seats for the second round of All India Quota counselling, Tamil Nadu is set to get 40 of them back. Nearly 100 in-service candidates are waiting for these seats and new applications are expected to be invited soon as the Centre has informed the Supreme Court that the qualifying score for NEET-Super Speciality is being lowered from the 50th percentile to the 30th percentile.

The State had to surrender the unfilled seats meant for Tamil Nadu’s in-service candidates in line with a Supreme Court direction. Now, 40 of these seats that remained vacant after round two of All India Quota counselling are being reverted to the State.

Fresh applications

Officials said there are around 100 eligible candidates, but they would have to call for applications again after receiving the court orders. The application window will depend on the duration stipulated by the court.

M. Akilan, State secretary, Tamil Nadu Medical Officers’ Association (TNMOA), said in a statement that after the Supreme Court ordered on May 29 that the vacant in-service super speciality seats be surrendered to the All India pool, it filed an independent fresh writ petition before the court, representing the rights and interests of in-service doctors in super speciality education.

The court later directed that the vacant seats be surrendered to the All India pool and if the qualifying cut-off was reduced in subsequent rounds of counselling, 50% of the remaining unfilled Tamil Nadu seats should be reverted to the State.

TNMOA said it continued its legal efforts and subsequently filed another Interlocutory Application seeking the full reversion of the remaining unfilled Tamil Nadu in-service seats to the State. At the hearing on Thursday, the Medical Counselling Committee informed the court that the NEET-SS qualifying percentile would be reduced to the 30th percentile. All remaining unfilled in-service seats would be reverted to the State.

Dr. Akilan said that 111 candidates were already waiting and that new applicants would come in. Last year, Tamil Nadu surrendered 145 seats to the All India Quota and 39 were reverted.

Doctor away in court, driver prescribes meds

Doctor away in court, driver prescribes meds 

Faiz.Siddiqui@timesofindia.com 18.09.2026

Kanpur: The driver of a doctor allegedly prescribed medicines to patients at a govt hospital in Kanpur while the emergency medical officer was at a court hearing. After a video of the driver acting as Dr Ramkesh’s proxy went viral Wednesday, the health department took cognisance of the matter and sought an explanation from the doctor.

Ramkesh later admitted that the person seen writing the prescriptions in the video was his driver. He told hospital authorities that he had fired the driver for acting arbitrarily. The video showed the driver seated in the OPD of Kanshiram Hospital, calling patients, asking about their illnesses and writing prescriptions on slips of paper. 

He allegedly told patients the medicines were unavailable at the hospital and had to be purchased outside. The development took place Monday when the doctor had been summoned to court in a case. As the video started circulating on social media, Kanshiram Hospital’s chief medical superintendent, Piyush Mishra, said he had sought a clarification from Ramkesh, adding action would be taken based on the response. He warned that if any outsider was found prescribing medicines in the hospital or OPD, action would be taken and an FIR would also be registered against the doctor concerned