The Nagaland In-Service Doctors Association (NIDA) has warned that the continuing shortage of teaching faculty at the Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR) could put the State’s first medical college at risk of action by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
In a statement issued on Saturday, NIDA alleged that NIMSR was currently running its MBBS programme without a faculty member in the Department of Paediatrics, while some other departments, including Pharmacology, had only one faculty member.
The association said it had been raising the issue with the authorities for more than a year and had urged the government and NIMSR to undertake fresh recruitment to fill the vacancies.
NIDA said the situation was particularly concerning because academic semesters were continuing despite the alleged shortage, and cautioned that failure to maintain the faculty strength required under NMC norms could have consequences for the college’s recognition.
The association called for immediate recruitment of eligible candidates under the Teachers Eligibility Qualification (TEQ) 2025, saying the process could also provide opportunities to qualified indigenous doctors, including those with government-sector experience.
NIDA, however, questioned an earlier move to recruit faculty beyond what it described as the required vacancies. It argued that while compliance with the NMC’s Minimum Standard Requirements was essential, NMC norms should not be cited to justify appointments beyond actual requirements, particularly where such appointments could create additional financial liability for the State government.
The faculty issue comes amid what NIDA described as wider administrative concerns at NIMSR.
The association questioned the concentration of administrative responsibilities in the post of Director-cum-Dean and called for separate positions for Director and Dean, along with full-time officers for administration and finance, a Registrar and a Medical Superintendent.
According to NIDA, the present arrangement places excessive responsibility on a single office and could affect the institute’s functioning when the Director-cum-Dean is away on leave or official duty.
The association also alleged that NIMSR had at times relied on its status as a “Society” to bypass established government procedures. It claimed that the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare was brought in mainly when the institute faced legal issues, NMC show-cause notices or required government funding.
NIDA further alleged that former Deputy Directors for Administration and Finance, deputed from government departments, were removed after attempting to introduce government procedures for administrative and financial accountability.
The association also raised concerns over the reported departure of faculty members from NIMSR, claiming that several more were likely to leave. It questioned the lack of fresh recruitment despite the alleged attrition.
Separately, NIDA alleged that student welfare unions and representative bodies had been prohibited at the institute, limiting students’ ability to collectively raise grievances over issues such as transportation, mess fees and compulsory uniforms.
The association also called for scrutiny of what it described as alleged irregularities in appointments and service benefits, including appointments without advertisements, the grant of Central Pay Scale to non-faculty employees and payment of non-practising allowance to non-doctor staff.
NIDA said these matters warranted an impartial examination, but maintained that the immediate priority was to ensure adequate teaching faculty and fill key administrative positions.
It proposed a seven-point intervention plan, including immediate faculty recruitment, separation of the Director and Dean posts, strengthening the administrative structure, greater involvement of medical subject experts in decision-making, routing official correspondence through the Medical Education Unit of the Health and Family Welfare Department, proper recruitment to technical posts and establishment of a separate Directorate of Medical Education in the State.
NIDA said it was raising the concerns in the public interest and stressed that NIMSR, as Nagaland’s first medical college, required adequate faculty and a functioning administrative structure to ensure quality medical education.
It warned that failure to address the issues could affect the academic environment and students’ careers, besides placing the future of the institution at risk.