NMC discontinues CPS Mumbai’s courses after ‘exam body like NBEMS’ statement, rules violation

NEW DELHI: The Post Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB), National Medical Commission (NMC) has decided to discontinue all the courses offered by the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS), Mumbai. The decision came after the board found the college’s response to a show cause notice, wherein it stated to consider itself as an examination body having authority to give medical qualification, misleading.

In an official notice, PGMEB asked students in the process of taking admissions to CPS-run courses as well as medical institutions and hospitals running its programmes to take note of its decision “as their additional qualifications will not be recognized for registration if any admission takes place after issuance of this public notice.”

The medical board had issued a show cause notice to the medical college for not following the provisions of NMC. “In its reply, CPS, Mumbai intimated that it considers itself as an examination body like the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) with authority to give medical qualification. The Board found this as a misguiding statement and observed that the NBEMS is a Government organization included in the Schedule of NMC Act 2019.

Authority to award medical degrees

PGMEB noted that CPS is a non-government organization (examination body) and has no authority to allow or recognize any course of qualification run by any hospital or to conduct examination or award a degree.

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The board reiterated a provision of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956 which states that the right of conferring or granting degrees can be done by a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act or an institution deemed to be a University under Section 3 or an institution specially empowered by an Act of Parliament to confer or grant degrees. Thus, degrees can only be issued by a university or any statutory body empowered by an Act of Parliament, it added.

“Hence, PGMEB, NMC has decided to discontinue all the courses running under the umbrella of CPS, Mumbai with immediate effect,” PGMEB stated in its official notice.