There is a huge dearth of medical practitioners in the country, and the demand for

specialized courses to develop these skills is at an all-time high. Given the backdrop,
setting up a medical college may seem like just the right thing to do. That, however, is
not easy, as the strict—and often bizarre—Medical Council of India (MCI) guidelines
make it a difficult prospect.

A medical college is an institution in which a person may undergo a course of study or

training that will make him eligible for the award of a recognized graduate medical
qualification. All applications under this scheme should be submitted to the Secretary,
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, Nirman Bhavan, New Delhi
between August 1 to August 3 (both days inclusive) of any year.

Eligibility criteria

The following organizations are eligible to apply (in Form 1) for permission to set up a
medical college:

* A state government/union territory

* A university
* An autonomous body promoted by the central and state government by or under a
statute for the purpose of medical education
* A society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of 1860), or
corresponding acts in states
* A public, religious or charitable trust registered under the Trust Act, 1882 (2 of 1882),
or the WAKFS Act, 1954 (29 of 1954)

Qualifying criteria

Eligible people will qualify for the application process if:

* Medical education is one of the objectives of the applicant, in case the applicant is an
autonomous body, a registered society or a charitable trust
* A suitable, single plot of land of not less than 25 acres is owned and possessed by the
applicant by way of a 99-year lease for the construction of the college (Opening a
medical college in a hired or rented building isn’t permitted)
* Essentiality Certificate (in Form 2) regarding No Objection of the state
government/union territory administration for the establishment of the proposed medical
college at the proposed site, and the availability of adequate clinical material as per
council regulations, has been obtained from the concerned administration
* Consent of affiliation (in Form 3) for the proposed medical college has been obtained
from a university
* The person owns and manages a hospital of not less than 300 beds with the necessary
infrastructural facilities to be developed into a teaching institution on the campus of the
proposed medical college
* The person has not admitted any students to the proposed medical college
* The person provides two performance bank guarantees from a Scheduled Commercial
Bank, valid for five years, in favor of MCI, New Delhi, for Rs.1 lakh (for 50 admissions),
Rs.1.50 lakh (for 100 admissions) and Rs.2 lakh (for 150 annual admissions) for the
establishment of the medical college and its infrastructural facilities. The second bank
guarantee is for Rs.350 lakh (for 400 beds), Rs.550 lakh (for 500 beds) and Rs.750 lakh
(for 750 beds) respectively for the establishment of the teaching hospital and its
infrastructural facilities

Forms and procedures

Subject to the fulfilment of the above eligibility and qualifying criteria, an application for
the establishment of a medical college (in Form 1) shall be submitted by the person in the
following parts:

Part I
* Status of the applicant in terms of the eligibility criteria
* Basic infrastructural facilities, managerial and financial capabilities of the applicant
(balance sheets for the last three years in case the person is not a state government or a
union territory)
* Necessary certificates and/or documents as prescribed in the qualifying criteria

Part II
* Name and address of the medical college
* Market survey and environmental analysis, including the state’s medical education
policy and the needs and availability of trained medical manpower
* Site characteristics and availability of external linkages, such as the permissible floor
space index
* Educational programs to be offered at the institute; this should include details like the
proposed annual intake of students, the admission criteria, etc.
* Functional program
* Equipment program
* Manpower program—the technical staff, ancillary staff, the recruitment procedure

Part III
* Name and address of the existing hospital
* Details of the hospital, including bed strength, bed distribution, whether the norm of
five in-patients per student will be fulfilled, the clinical and para-clinical disciplines, and
outpatient departments
* Upgradation and the expansion program, including land particulars and plot size

Application fee
The application should be submitted by registered post only to the Secretary (Health),
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Nirman Bhavan, New
Delhi-110011. The application must also include a non-refundable application fee of
Rs.3.5 lakh in the form of a demand draft/pay order in favor of ‘Medical Council of
India’, payable at New Delhi.
Evaluation by MCI
The council will evaluate the application in terms of the desirability and feasibility of
setting up the medical college at the proposed location. It will also assess the capability of
the applicant to provide the necessary sources and infrastructure for the scheme.

While evaluating the application, the council may seek further information, clarification
or additional documents from the applicant as considered necessary and shall carry out
physical inspection to verify the information supplied by the applicant.

After examining the application and conducting the necessary physical inspections, the
MCI will send a factual report to the central government stating the issue of the Letter of
Intent or recommend not issuing the Letter of Intent.

©Entrepreneur June 2010