For the first time, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has introduced new guidelines designed to identify “fake patients” in medical colleges and institutions seeking approval for new establishments or an increase in undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) seats.
These guidelines aim to address concerns regarding the admission of fake patients—individuals who do not require inpatient care—solely to meet the bed occupancy requirements. This step follows reports of some medical institutions and colleges admitting fake patients (those who don’t need treatment or inpatient care) to fulfill bed occupancy and investigation criteria.
According to the new guidelines, certain patterns may indicate the presence of fake patients. These include the admission of large numbers of patients on the day of the inspection or the preceding day, multiple admissions from the same family, or patients with trivial conditions that could be treated on an outpatient basis with oral medications.
Additionally, a lack of documented investigations, such as X-rays or blood tests (either before or after admission), or the absence of treatments typically given to admitted patients (like intravenous fluids, injections, catheterization, or prescribed medications) could also signal fraudulent practices.
Another red flag for assessors is the observation of admitted children in pediatric wards who appear playful and healthy, with no significant medical issues. Furthermore, the admission of large numbers of patients through preventive health checkups or camps may also raise suspicions.
The NMC has issued these guidelines in connection with applications for the establishment of new medical colleges or institutions offering undergraduate courses, as well as requests to increase UG seats for the academic year (AY) 2025-2026.
The Commission has made it clear that engaging in the practice of admitting fake patients will be considered a serious violation and will result in penalties according to existing regulations.
In order to ensure proper training, minimum clinical exposure for students is specified in the criteria for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including the required bed occupancy standards.
The NMC noted, “It has been observed for a long time that certain medical institutions and colleges resort to admitting fake patients to meet bed occupancy, investigation, and other criteria.”
As per the guidelines, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) will select an optimal team of assessors to ensure the most accurate and effective evaluations. For UG courses, assessments will be conducted over one or more days, while for PG courses, the evaluation will also span one or more days.
