DRP Crisis: Maharashtra Defies Medical Mandate
• Sprouts News SIT Uncovers Medical Education Scandal
• DY Patil, State Fail Medicos in DRP Mess
Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098
Sprouts News Exclusive
Contact: +91 9322755098
Contents
DRP Crisis: Maharashtra Defies Medical Mandate• Sprouts News SIT Uncovers Medical Education Scandal• DY Patil, State Fail Medicos in DRP MessMaharashtra Government’s Bureaucratic Collapse Disrupts Medical EducationDY Patil Medical College Under Fire for Violating DRP RulesStudents Left Stranded: Academic Futures at RiskNMC’s Mandate Ignored by Both State and CollegesAlso Read: Piramal and Mafatlal Builders Accused in Land Scam.Related Article: UGC Probes Dr. DY Patil Medical College Over MBBS Fee Hike.Demand for Reforms and Disciplinary Action IntensifiesDRP Collapse Reveals Deep Rot in Maharashtra’s Health Governance
The Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) reveals how Maharashtra’s Health Department and DY Patil Medical College violated NMC’s mandatory District Residency Programme. Despite DIRECTOR GENERAL HEALTH SERVICES-backed directives, students like Dr. Divyansh Dwivedi face academic delays due to bureaucratic neglect, non-compliance by hospitals, and private colleges evading accountability, risking medical education integrity.
The Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) has unearthed shocking lapses in the implementation of the District Residency Programme (DRP)—a mandatory rural posting scheme for MD/MS students across India. Despite clear directives by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and Maharashtra’s Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), the state’s healthcare and academic infrastructure stands in silent defiance of national policy.
The NMC’s Post Graduate
Medical Education Regulations 2000 (PGMER-2000) vide notification dated 16.09.2020 mandated three months of compulsory DRP postings for all postgraduates admitted from 2021 onwards—including those in deemed and private medical colleges. The DMER reinforced this through guidelines dated February 16, 2023, specifying that DRP be implemented by May 1, 2023, across the state. Students who fail to complete DRP are barred from appearing in final examinations.
Maharashtra Government’s Bureaucratic Collapse Disrupts Medical Education
Despite explicit mandates, the Maharashtra Health Department and the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), Pune, failed to enforce the DRP in government institutions. One glaring example comes from Aundh District Hospital, where the Civil Surgeon blatantly disregarded national orders, stating: “Government of India orders are not meant for Aundh District Hospital.”
The situation worsens with the state’s failure to act on formal grievances. Dr. Divyansh Dwivedi, a postgraduate student, filed multiple complaints under grievance IDs DHLTH/1/2023/0012663 and DHLTH/E/2023/0013951. Yet, the DHS Maharashtra offered no resolution. Despite DMER guidelines requiring District Surgeons to arrange accommodations ,Transportation,Safety and security specially for female resident doctors ,Clinical rotations , etc hospitals like Aundh received neither oversight nor direction.
As the Sprouts News SIT observed, the lack of penalties or audits reveals systemic indifference, turning statutory body mandated academic duties into bureaucratic formalities.
DY Patil Medical College Under Fire for Violating DRP Rules
Private institutions, notably DY Patil Medical College, have also contributed to the crisis. According to NMC instructions , colleges are required to coordinate placements with district hospitals. However, DY Patil failed to coordinate with the state officials for the implementation of DRP.
DMER’s February 2023 circular instructed all colleges to batch students and liaise with health departments . Yet, DY Patil remained non-compliant. An RTI filed by Dr. Dwivedi (Reg. No. DTGHS/R/T/25/00195) revealed the college had no official communication or action plan, leaving students ineligible to appear for final exams.
This, as the Sprouts News SIT highlights, is not an isolated case—but a symptom of unchecked private college autonomy and the collapse of state monitoring.
Students Left Stranded: Academic Futures at Risk
Dr. Dwivedi’s ordeal illustrates the broader fallout. His grievances were met with silence or perfunctory responses. A DGHS reply dismissed his concern outright: “No further information is available.”
This lack of institutional accountability jeopardizes academic timelines for hundreds of students. Without DRP certification, postgraduate candidates are barred from examinations, leading to career-threatening delays and mental health stressors. Many students have already lost critical time due to bureaucratic neglect and unresponsive college administration.
NMC’s Mandate Ignored by Both State and Colleges
The NMC’s position leaves no room for ambiguity:
•States must implement DRP without delay.
•Private colleges must coordinate placements and ensure documentation.
Despite these guidelines, the Maharashtra Health Department remains passive, and private institutions like DY Patil evade responsibility. This ongoing negligence defies not only regulatory compliance but also the very vision of rural healthcare strengthening outlined by the DRP.
The Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) confirms that multiple reminders and notifications were issued, but no disciplinary action was taken—neither against government hospitals nor private administrators.
Also Read: Piramal and Mafatlal Builders Accused in Land Scam.
Related Article: UGC Probes Dr. DY Patil Medical College Over MBBS Fee Hike.
Demand for Reforms and Disciplinary Action Intensifies
Public health experts and academic activists are now calling for immediate intervention. Their key demands include:
1.Penal action against the Maharashtra Health Department for failing to implement DRP despite central and state guidelines.
2.Immediate suspension of the Aundh District Hospital Civil Surgeon for open defiance of national policy.
3.Blacklisting of DY Patil Medical College from future admissions until compliance is ensured.
The DGHS, in its limited guidance, suggested Dr. Dwivedi contact Dr. Amita Bali Vohra for escalation . But stakeholders believe individual appeals are insufficient to reverse a systemic collapse.
“The state’s failure to act isn’t just negligence—it’s sabotage of medical education.”
— Healthcare Policy Analyst, Mumbai
DRP Collapse Reveals Deep Rot in Maharashtra’s Health Governance
The DRP fiasco isn’t merely an administrative error—it’s a symptom of systemic decay within Maharashtra’s health education ecosystem. While private colleges like DY Patil escape scrutiny, students suffer. With the Supreme Court upholding the NMC’s regulations, and with no sign of accountability from state actors, the future of postgraduate medical education hangs in the balance.
The Sprouts News Special Investigation Team (SIT) urges immediate intervention from the NMC, Union Health Ministry, and the Governor of Maharashtra to protect students and uphold judicial integrity. Without urgent reform, India’s rural healthcare mission—and the careers of countless young doctors—risk becoming collateral damage of bureaucratic collapse.
