IndiaPosted at: Oct 13 2026 11:07AM


NMC orders medical colleges to set up patient safety panels to check medical errors, hospital infections

New Delhi, Oct 13 (UNI) The National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed medical colleges and institutions across the country to establish Patient Safety Committees to monitor medical errors, hospital-acquired infections, unsafe treatment practices and other preventable risks, bringing patient safety procedures under a structured institutional review mechanism.
In a public notice issued NMC Secretary Dr Raghav Langer instructed medical institutions to constitute multidisciplinary Patient Safety Committees or Cells and advised their heads to designate Patient Safety Nodal Officers responsible for coordinating safety measures.
The directive follows a communication from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), which raised concerns over avoidable medical errors, medication-related complications, hospital-acquired infections and diagnostic failures.
The DGHS communication cited an estimate of 52 lakh injuries annually due to medical errors, including medication errors and hospital-acquired infections, highlighting the scale of patient safety concerns. The estimate was cited in the communication without a supporting study being identified in the attached documents.
Under the framework, the committees will be chaired by institutional heads, directors or medical superintendents, with nodal officers serving as member secretaries. Nursing representatives, quality managers and specialists from relevant medical departments will form part of the institutional mechanism.
The committees will oversee 11 patient safety domains, including medication and surgical safety, blood transfusions, medical devices, laboratory and diagnostic procedures, infection prevention, antimicrobial resistance, vaccine and injection safety, facility safety and patient engagement.
Medical institutions will be required to establish mechanisms for reporting and reviewing patient safety incidents, near misses and high-risk events. The committees will examine systemic deficiencies, undertake root cause analyses where necessary and recommend corrective and preventive action.
The framework also calls for regular safety audits, staff training, monitoring of hospital protocols and coordination between departments to prevent duplication of oversight responsibilities.
According to the terms of reference, the committees must promote a culture of safety, learning and "non-punitive reporting", encouraging healthcare professionals to report errors and potential hazards without fear of automatic punishment.
The panels will meet monthly or quarterly, as decided by individual institutions, while emergency meetings may be convened following serious patient safety incidents.
Medical colleges will also have to submit periodic reports to their institutional heads and the National Patient Safety Secretariat (NPSS), detailing safety incidents, root cause analysis findings, corrective measures, action-taken reports and key safety indicators.
The NMC has asked institutions to furnish the composition of their committees and details of designated nodal officers to the NPSS.
The initiative forms part of efforts to implement the National Patient Safety Action Plan 2030 and strengthen accountability in healthcare delivery.
The directive covers medical colleges and institutions across the country, including government and private establishments, and seeks to institutionalise continuous monitoring of patient safety rather than relying solely on corrective measures after adverse incidents.
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