Only One Caught, Many Slipping Through: UDF Slams NMC for Weak AEBAS Monitoring in Medical Colleges..
New Delhi/Shimla, May 16: In a strong-worded statement, the United Doctors Front (UDF) has slammed the National Medical Commission (NMC) for what it calls a "glaring failure in monitoring and auditing" biometric attendance fraud in medical colleges.
This comes after a recent RTI revealed that only one institute—Rawatpura Sarkar Institute in Chhattisgarh—has been held accountable for manipulating the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) using fake fingerprints.
UDF President Dr. Lakshya Mittal minced no words, calling it “alarming and disappointing” that only one institution was named despite widespread concerns in the medical fraternity about proxy attendance, fingerprint cloning, and biometric misuse.
"It is just one, but what about those private medical colleges in Himachal, Punjab, and Haryana? Are we to believe the rest are clean, or has the system simply failed to catch them?” questioned Dr. Mittal.
The UDF is now calling for a wider net and tighter scanning mechanism by the NMC. According to the doctors' body, the fact that no full list of defaulters has been released points to serious gaps in the regulatory and surveillance systems meant to uphold transparency in faculty attendance.
"The AEBAS was introduced to ensure accountability and honesty in medical education.
But if institutions can game the system using proxy biometrics and still go unchecked, it raises serious doubts about the intent and effectiveness of NMC’s monitoring," said Dr. Mittal.
While the NMC has begun rolling out a face-based AEBAS system—deemed harder to manipulate—UDF has expressed only “cautious optimism.” Full implementation is expected from May 1, 2025.
"Face recognition may reduce fraud, but without regular audits and transparent reporting, even this system can be misused. There needs to be a robust public mechanism to expose defaulters," UDF added.
The doctors’ body has urged both the NMC and the Union Ministry of Health to make audit reports public and hold institutions accountable.
It wants regular third-party checks, detailed RTI disclosures, and exemplary action against repeat offenders.
"It’s about safeguarding the future of healthcare in India. We can’t afford to let students train under systems soaked in unethical practices. This isn’t just academic fraud—it’s a national health risk," Dr. Mittal concluded.
As whispers grow louder about multiple private colleges across northern India indulging in similar practices, UDF’s demand for a full-scale crackdown may be the wake-up call the NMC cannot ignore any longer.
