Jammu, Jan 5: A surprise inspection by a team of the National Medical Commission (NMC) at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (SMVD) Institute of Medical Excellence has uncovered serious deficiencies in hospital infrastructure, bed strength, patient load and faculty availability, raising concerns over the institute’s compliance with mandatory norms for medical colleges.
Sources said one of the most significant lapses noted by the NMC team was the non-availability of the mandatory minimum of 250 general beds in the attached teaching hospital, SMVD Narayana Hospital. During the inspection, it was reportedly found that the hospital largely consists of superspeciality beds, which do not qualify as general beds under NMC regulations.
The inspection team observed that while general beds were shown on paper and through signage, their actual availability on the ground was grossly inadequate. Sources added that the hospital predominantly has private and semi-private rooms with one or two beds each. In an apparent attempt to show compliance, additional beds had been placed in some rooms, but the team found the room sizes insufficient and the mandatory distance between beds not maintained, rendering the arrangement non-compliant.
The NMC team also reportedly found inadequate patient load in several key clinical departments. As per NMC norms, sufficient specialty-wise outpatient attendance and indoor admissions are essential for clinical teaching. However, departments such as General Surgery, Gynaecology and Paediatrics were found to have low patient footfall and admissions.
Further, deficiencies were noted in essential infrastructure required for the medical college, including office spaces and academic facilities. Hostel arrangements were found to be makeshift, with temporary adjustments made to project compliance with norms.
Sources said the inspection team also detected a shortfall in faculty strength, particularly in the number of Senior Residents and Tutors, which are crucial for undergraduate medical education.
The findings of the surprise inspection are expected to have serious implications for the SMVD Institute of Medical Excellence, which is already facing controversy over the admission of non-Hindu students and the ensuing agitation by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti, an RSS-backed conglomerate of various organisations demanding cancellation of the admissions.
As exclusively reported earlier by Excelsior, a special NMC team conducted the surprise inspection of the SMVD Institute of Medical Excellence and the Narayana Super-speciality Hospital on January 2, 2026. The team carried out a detailed inspection of the medical college infrastructure and hospital facilities, including administrative blocks, classrooms, laboratories, hostels, hospital wards, operation theatres and outpatient departments. The inspection team also conducted videography and photography of facilities and documented relevant records.
The NMC team is likely to submit its inspection report to the National Medical Commission by Tuesday for further action.
