The National Medical Commission (NMC) has acknowledged that it does not have information on hospitals with 220–499 beds, even though it recently allowed postgraduate (PG) medical students to complete their senior residency in such hospitals.
Earlier, only hospitals with over 500 beds were recognised for senior residency. After students complained that very few hospitals met this requirement, the NMC expanded eligibility to include 220–499 bed hospitals.
However, in response to an RTI filed by the Medical Students’ Association, the NMC said it has no record of how many hospitals fall in this category. This has left PG students confused about how to identify eligible hospitals.
Students say the choice of residency hospital matters for future assistant professor appointments, and without an official list, they fear their residency may later be questioned. Many PG students are therefore still opting for 500-bed hospitals to avoid any risk.
As a result, despite the rule change, students may not actually benefit from the expanded eligibility.