New Delhi: The National Medical Commission has ordered disciplinary and criminal action and sweeping corrective measures after an inquiry found serious irregularities and institutional failure in the conduct of super-speciality courses at Lok Nayak Hospital, associated with Maulana Azad Medical College.The matter was earlier highlighted by The Times of India in these columns.In a detailed order on Jan 28, NMC’s medical assessment and rating board said its final inquiry report, accepted in toto, has established non-compliance with statutory norms in the MCh neurosurgery and DM neuro-anaesthesia programmes, prompting directions to Delhi govt for immediate and time-bound action.To safeguard students’ interests, the commission ordered degree protection for the 2022–25 MCh neurosurgery batch, while directing immediate academic migration of the 2023–26 batch to Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (GIPMER), and the reassignment of thesis guides. Admissions to the 2024–27 MCh neurosurgery batch were declared void ab initio, with students to be migrated to vacant seats at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and GIPMER on humanitarian grounds. For the DM neuro-anaesthesia 2024 batch, NMC has ordered immediate migration to a recognised institution, citing the absence of a valid department and faculty.The commission directed Delhi govt to start penalty proceedings against Dr PN Pandey, a former head of neurosurgery at Lok Nayak under whose watch the alleged irregularities and grave misconduct were reported. He is to be moved to a non-sensitive posting or face suspension. An independent inquiry authority and presenting officer, preferably from outside Delhi govt medical institutions, must be appointed to ensure neutrality and fairness.The order mandated referring the matter for a criminal investigation under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for the alleged offences of cheating and inducement of students, forgery and misrepresentation, criminal conspiracy and abuse of official position.This publication reached out to Dr Pandey for a reaction. He alleged that NMC had acted arbitrarily, and without any evidence had recommended action against him. He accused the commision of being unilateral. Its decisions violated principles of natural justice and disrupted medical education, he said. Flagging systemic failures, NMC noted lapses in honouring undertakings submitted on faculty and infrastructure, weak administrative oversight, and a structural mismatch between academic responsibility and administrative control between the hospital and Maulana Azad Medical College. The health department was also asked to coordinate with central authorities to remove an irregular MCC institute code created in violation of regulations.
