NMC issues draft anti-ragging regulations for medical colleges

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission’s (NMC) draft regulations for preventing ragging in medical colleges and institutions proposes separate hostels for the new batches of MBBS students, staggered entry of students to the college and including the regulations in all information bulletins and notices for exams such as the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medicine.

“Freshers shall be lodged as far as may be, in a separate hostel block or wing, and the institute shall ensure that the access of seniors to the accommodation allotted to freshers is strictly monitored,” the draft regulations say.

Also, the commission suggests that the institutions need to admit the new batch of students before the “new session for the senior batches commences.”

The responsibilities of the anti-ragging squad have also been detailed more clearly; incidents of ragging and the action taken are to be placed in the public domain; non-compliance to the regulations or failure to report incidents could lead to derecognition of the medical college.

The draft regulation requires the institution to set up an anti-ragging control room with contact details so that the student can report incidents of ragging. “Robust communication system to be set up so that an incident of ragging is communicated and relayed across the institution, to the district officials and the police,” it says.

Incidentally, in February 2020, the health ministry had told Parliament that only six cases of ragging had been reported from medical colleges over 2019-20.

Anti-ragging squads

Every institution must have an anti-ragging committee comprising the head of the institution, representatives of students, faculty members, freshers, senior students, parents, non-teaching staff, civil and police administration, local media and non-government organizations involved in youth activities.

Apart from making surprise checks in hostels and other areas such as transport facilities, the squad will also check for tell-tale signs of ragging -- injuries on freshers, inability to stay awake, which could indicate ragging at night -- and report them to the medical college administration. They must also keep the authorities informed about blind spots on campus that could be misused for ragging -- dark stretches of pathway or corridors with fused bulbs, for example.

Medical colleges, universities

Everyone involved in admission to medical colleges will have to state in their notifications and announcements that ragging is a legal offence and strictly prohibited.

Apart from the medical colleges and universities, even exam conducting bodies such as the National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG) for admission to MBBS, BDS and allied programmes, and National Board of Examinations (NBE) which hold the postgraduate entrance exams, NEET PG and NEET Super Speciality. Therefore, admission brochures, prospectus and information bulletins in print or digital format for NEET UG, NEET PG and NEET SS exams must all contain the anti-ragging regulations.

The medical counselling Committee (MCC) of the directorate general of health services (DGHS), ministry of health and family welfare, will also have to display the regulations on their website. The regulations should also be displayed in the information bulletin of the national exit test (NEXT).

Universities can formulate their own regulations based on the provisions of University Grants Commission’s (UGC) 2009 regulations. Universities will be responsible for all decisions and orders related to incidents of ragging within their own institutions and take action. However, they too will have to report incidents to the NMC.

NMC: Penalty for non-compliance

The NMC shall monitor institutions through the university about implementation and compliance of rules and regulations. Every institution will submit an annual compliance report, including all reports of ragging and regulation.

Also, all reports of ragging, including directions from the court, must be submitted to NMC from the institution and the university.

Failure to adhere to regulations or report incidents could lead to derecognition of the institute or reduction in the institution's admission capacity or stopping further admission altogether.

NMC - Draft regulation for prohibition and prevention of Ragging in medical colleges.pdf

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