Addressing students’ mental health concerns top priority: NMC chief

New Delhi, July 14, 2024

Strengthening the quality of medical education in India is the top priority of the National Medical Commission (NMC), said the body’s newly appointed chairperson Dr BN Gangadhar. Talking to The Tribune, Gangadhar said the NMC was also addressing mental health concerns of medical students and had taken significant steps in this direction.

Will pull out all the stops

Even if one student makes a suicide attempt, it should worry us. All the means that can mitigate this will be exploited. Dr BN Gangadhar Chairperson, National Medical Commission

“The NMC should become synonymous with quality medical education. I also intend to make it more approachable. The services being provided by medical colleges are appreciable. We are producing the best doctors in the world. However, the NMC will come down on some of the colleges to make them better,” he said.

In the last five years, as many as 119 medical students died by suicide. There have also been reports of ragging in medical colleges. Gangadhar said: “This is a serious concern. Even if one student makes an attempt, it should worry us. All the means that can mitigate this will be exploited. The NMC had formed an anti-ragging committee that had surveyed students and teachers to understand the causes. We will implement the recommendations received from the committee.”