NMC rejecting patients’ appeals on medical negligence, under Union Health Ministry lens

With hundreds of complaints of medical negligence and misconduct against doctors being rejected by the ethics board of the National Medical Commission (NMC) in the past five years, the Union Health Ministry has decided to examine the issue, an RTI has revealed.

The ministry will examine the issue in consultation with the NMC, a statutory body that regulates medical education, medical professionals, institutions, and research.

Till June, appeals of as many as 162 patients against doctors for medical negligence and misconduct were rejected by the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), which regulates professional conduct and promotes medical ethics.

The ministry’s decision to consult NMC came after RTI activist Dr KV Babu pointed out that the government was being “misled” by the Commission on the issue. He flagged the issue after Anupriya Patel, Minister of State in the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, in a parliamentary reply on July 22, stated that no report had been received by the ministry regarding the NMC’s lack of transparency and bias at the expense of patients.

However, Dr Babu said the NMC clearly misled the ministry when it denied that doctors are being favoured, as the ministry had sought its response to a parliamentary question.

“I had written to NMC’s ethics committee on the issue on June 22, 2025. I had also communicated with the ministry in July 2022 regarding bias against patients. But still NMC responded to the query from the ministry on July 18 that no reports have been received in the Ethics Division of NMC,” Dr Babu told this paper.

After the minister’s response in Parliament, Dr Babu shot another RTI, pointing out that NMC was misleading the ministry and the House.

Responding to his RTI, the Union Health Ministry, in its September 19 response, said, “With reference to your representation, it is informed that the matter is being examined in consultation with NMC as per statutory provisions.”

“It is clear from the documents availed using RTI that NMC clearly misled the ministry and Parliament regarding the right to appeal by patients. They are still rejecting appeals to the EMRB against State Medical Councils (SMC) decisions even after parliament’s reply in July. It has been five years on September 25 since NMC took office. Since then, it has been rejecting the appeals from patients illegally,” he added.