Aspiring doctors in Rajasthan turn to YouTube as faculty shortages cripple the state’s medical colleges

Despite lacking essential faculty and infrastructure, Rajasthan’s newly opened medical colleges allegedly continue to receive approvals from the National Medical Commission (NMC)
YouTube is the new entrance exam
YouTube is the new entrance exam(Img: EdexLive Desk)
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Medical students in Rajasthan are grappling with a severe faculty shortage, forcing many to rely on YouTube videos instead of classroom instruction. Newly established government medical colleges, meant to expand access to medical education, lack essential infrastructure, faculty, and equipment—leaving students without proper guidance, Dainik Bhaskar reports.

The Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) Curriculum by the National Medical Commission (NMC) mandates at least 150 faculty members per 100 MBBS seats. Yet, several colleges fall drastically short: Karauli and Hanumangarh have just 16 faculty members each, Bundi has 32, and Alwar has 36. 

Dainik Bhaskar highlights that even in established institutions, critical subjects like microbiology, pathology, and biochemistry lack trained faculty and well-equipped labs.

Dholpur Medical College, opened in 2022–23, has only one faculty member each for anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology. At Karauli Medical College, the second batch of students has no designated teachers, while 33 Group-2 doctors have been given the title of assistant professors to meet regulatory requirements. In Bharatpur, where the college has operated for seven years, faculty strength remains 48% below the required level.

Despite these glaring issues, the NMC continues approving new medical colleges. Commenting on the situation, Dr Rohan Krishnan, Chief Patron of the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), told Medical Dialogues, “Permission to run medical colleges is being given out without proper restrictions… mainly business groups are opening them to make money.”

He also criticised the lack of inspections, stating, “After COVID, there has been no physical inspection in medical colleges… the whole system is now run by small private players who care more about profits than quality.”

On the faculty shortage, he added, “The real picture is much worse. Why is NMC giving permissions? Accountability has to be fixed… whether this is corruption or ignorance.”

A 2022 review by the NMC found that 50% of Indian medical colleges were non-compliant with minimum faculty and infrastructure requirements. Of the 349 institutions flagged, 197 were government-aided. Yet, Rajasthan plans to open five more medical colleges, raising concerns about the quality of future medical education in the state.

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