Installation of cameras in all medical colleges advised by NMC

The regulating body, NMC, has issued an advisory urging the installation of cameras on the grounds of all medical colleges and institutes in an effort to raise the standard of medical education in the nation. The National Medical Commission (NMC) and the former Medical Council of India are continuing their digital mission mode project to ensure and monitor the availability of a sufficient number of patient teaching staff as well as monitor regular teaching programmes in medical institutions.

This is a step forward towards developing a robust monitoring mechanism and providing for transparency and accountability in the functioning of medical colleges, official sources said. If utilised properly, this would also be a way forward for digitisation of the assessment process for approvals being granted to medical colleges either for enhancement of undergraduate courses or starting or enhancement of post-graduate courses, they said.

An official source stated that the use of such technology and artificial intelligence will transform the current one-time procedure of assessments and directives into a transparent, ongoing process. 25 cameras in all are recommended for installation, with one each at the hospital’s and college’s main entrances, two at the patient registration centre, and five at the OPDs (depending on the number of OPDs in the medical college but it should cover medicine OPD, surgical OPD, gynaecological OPD, paediatrics OPD, ortho OPD etc).

In addition, it has suggested installing cameras in the pre-anaesthesia area and recovery area in the operating room complex, two in the faculty lounge and attendance-making area, five in each of the five lecture halls, one in the anatomy dissection hall, two in each of the physiology lab-biochemistry UG labs, patho and microbiology labs, and one in each of the pharmacology lab, patient attendant waiting area, and emergency and casualty ward. The NMC has advised using high-processing-power digital video recorders with networking for remote accessibility, 16 channels, and 4K-ready CCTVs in educational institutions.