NMC Orders Medical Colleges to Submit Monthly Reports on Student Suicides
New compliance measures also require institutions to address vacant faculty and key administrative posts while strengthening access to medical support for students.
NEW DELHI, Aug 26: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed medical colleges across India to maintain updated records of student suicides and unnatural deaths and submit certified Action Taken Reports (ATRs) every month.
The directive follows Supreme Court directions concerning the mental health and safety of students in medical institutions. The commission has classified the compliance exercise as “MOST URGENT” and asked colleges to give it top priority.
Under the new reporting framework, institutions will have to provide details including the student’s course and year, the date and location of the incident, police intimation, FIR status, institutional inquiry and corrective measures taken after each suicide or unnatural death.
The NMC has also asked medical colleges to provide department-wise information on sanctioned, filled and vacant faculty positions. Details of vacancies among non-teaching staff and key administrative posts, including deans, directors, medical superintendents, registrars, wardens and counsellors, will also be monitored.
Colleges have been given four months to fill vacant faculty and important administrative positions, with special recruitment drives to be undertaken for reserved posts.
The commission has further asked institutions to ensure round the clock access to qualified medical assistance either on campus or within a distance of one kilometre.
The move comes against the backdrop of concerns over student mental health in educational institutions. According to data cited in the report, 14,488 student suicides were recorded in 2024, compared with 13,892 in 2023. The figure has increased substantially over the past decade.
The NMC’s framework also seeks closer monitoring of institutional conditions that can affect student well being. Faculty members are being encouraged to identify changes in attendance, academic performance, behaviour or social withdrawal and help distressed students access appropriate support.
Academic pressure, fear of failure, bullying, ragging, harassment, discrimination, isolation and financial difficulties have been identified as factors that may increase vulnerability.
The information submitted by medical colleges will be consolidated to assess compliance with the directions and shared with the Ministry of Education where required.
