GMC Jagtial students begin indefinite protest over lack of basic facilities; FAIMA backs demands

Medical students of Government Medical College (GMC) Jagtial will begin an indefinite peaceful protest today over the lack of basic facilities and delays in campus infrastructure. They are seeking immediate action on their demands

The medical students' body, Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), has backed students and raised questions over the lack of basic facilities and regulatory process, even after several batches of students have been admitted.

Despite the foundation stone laid nearly four years ago, GMC Jagtial operates out of ‘wholly temporary structures,’ the medical students’ body said in a letter.

Students have flagged the delay in the construction of permanent college and hostel buildings, as well as the complete lack of essential college transport required for the mandatory medical curriculum.

Also read ‘Don’t know how NMC permitted’: New medical colleges started without faculty or equipment, say students

‘Distressing conditions,’ say medical students

With infrastructure facilities still lacking on campus and a new batch due to begin shortly, medical students will have to share only three makeshift lecture halls and three laboratories, the students' letter said.

Moreover, the “residential conditions are equally distressing”, with students crammed 6 to 8 members per room in congested hostels.

Female students lack even basic reading room facilities because of extreme space constraints, making academic preparation nearly impossible for final-year students, who face university exams in less than six months, it added.

GMC Jagtial: Training gap

Students have also pointed out that the academic curriculum has been hindered by the absence of college transport.

Due to the lack of dedicated buses, not even a single batch has been able to participate in the medical training programmes such as family aoption programme (FAP), rural/urban health training centre postings, or community medical camps for the past three years, which is a direct violation of the National Medical Commission (NMC) mandatory guidelines.

“For the past two and a half years, students have repeatedly petitioned all relevant authorities, including the MLA of Jagtial, the district collector, the R&B department, and the building contractors. Following unfulfilled promises and administrative inaction, the students are now taking peaceful, disciplined action,” the letter added.

Careers360 had reported earlier that around a quarter of GMCs in Telangana do not have a single professor, while about 6% of them are without any faculty and are staffed only by senior residents, a study conducted by the Telangana Senior Resident Doctors Association (TSRDA) revealed.

Demands align with NMC requirements

The students' core demands align strictly with NMC minimum standard requirements.

• Handover of Hostels: Completion and handover of furnished hostel buildings by the end of October 2026, accommodating at least 75% of students, interns, and resident doctors, complete with internet-enabled reading rooms.
• Completion of the Permanent College Building: Full handover of a functional academic block by the end of December 2026, featuring a minimum of four functional, gallery-type lecture theatres and a Central Library with adequate reading room seating.
• Fully Equipped Laboratories: Segregated and fully equipped practical laboratories for all departments to prevent severe overcrowding.
• Provision of College Transport: Immediate deployment of dedicated college buses to resume the mandatory FAP and field postings, bringing the institution back into NMC compliance.
• Basic Campus Amenities: Development of internal roads, functional drainage systems, and sports grounds.

The students’ body has also assured the administration and the public that the protest will remain non-violent and disciplined.

“The sole objective is to secure the fundamental educational facilities and basic living conditions promised to them as medical students of a government institution,” the letter adds.