NMC Withdraws Permission for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College; Students to Be Shifted to Other Institutes
New Delhi, January 6: The National Medical Commission’s (NMC) Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) has withdrawn the Letter of Permission (LoP) granted to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence, Kakryal, Reasi (Jammu & Kashmir), for running an MBBS course with 50 seats for the academic year 2025–26. The decision, issued on January 6, 2026, takes immediate effect, officials said.
The withdrawal follows serious deficiencies found during a surprise inspection conducted on January 2, 2026, under Section 28(7) of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019. The inspection was ordered after multiple complaints alleging inadequate infrastructure, shortage of faculty, poor clinical material and low patient load at the institute.
The college had applied for permission to establish a new medical college under NMC public notices dated December 5 and December 19, 2024. After scrutiny, MARB granted the LoP on September 8, 2025, subject to strict conditions, including compliance with Minimum Standard Requirements, accuracy of information provided, and acceptance of surprise inspections. The Commission had reserved the right to withdraw permission in case of misrepresentation or non-compliance.
According to the assessment report, the institute was found to be grossly deficient in several key areas. There was a 39 per cent shortfall in teaching faculty and a 65 per cent deficiency in tutors, demonstrators and senior residents. Clinical material was also far below prescribed norms, with OPD attendance recorded at 182 patients by 1 pm against a requirement of 400, and bed occupancy at 45 per cent against the mandated 80 per cent. Intensive Care Units reportedly had around 50 per cent occupancy, while the average number of deliveries was only about 25 per month, which MARB termed “grossly deficient”.
The inspection also found that several essential facilities were missing or inadequate. Practical laboratories for some departments and a research laboratory were not available. Lecture theatres did not meet Minimum Standard Requirements, and the library had only 744 books against the required 1,500, along with just two journals instead of the mandated fifteen. There was no ART centre or facility for management of MDR-TB. Infrastructure deficiencies were also noted in clinical departments, including the absence of separate male and female wards.
Only two operation theatres were functional against the required five, there was no minor operation theatre in the OPD area, and equipment for para-clinical subjects was found to be inadequate.
Citing Regulation 29 of the “Establishment of Medical Institutions, Assessment & Rating Regulations, 2023”, which treats such deficiencies as penal offences, MARB concluded that the institute had failed to meet the Minimum Standard Requirements under UGMSR-2023. With the approval of the NMC Chairman, the LoP granted on September 8, 2025, was withdrawn with immediate effect. The Commission has also decided to invoke the Performance Bank Guarantee furnished by the college.
At the same time, the order safeguards the interests of students already admitted for the academic year 2025–26. It states that all admitted students will be accommodated as supernumerary seats in other recognised medical colleges within the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir by the competent UT authorities. Copies of the order have been forwarded to the UT government for necessary action to ensure seamless relocation of students.
