A private medical college in Uttar Pradesh has directed its postgraduate students to visit neighbouring villages and "admit 100 patients within 15 days", angering sections of doctors who say the circular exposes blatantly unethical practices in medical education.

The Krishna Mohan Medical College and Hospital, Mathura, has in a January 14 circular called on its resident doctors to accompany its public relations officers to the villages as part of a "patient outreach" programme and "admit at least 100 patients within the next 15 days".

"Failure to admit 100 patients within 15 days will result in an extension of the programme on a per-day basis," the note said. "If a patient leaves against medical advice due to a PG resident’s failure to consult with their consultant, the resident doctor must admit 50 patients individually."

Members of the Federation of the All India Medical Associations (Faima), a nationwide body of postgraduate resident doctors, on Wednesday decried the circular, saying it showed how a private college was setting targets for doctors and students "to fulfil their monetary targets".

The circular, describing a new programme called "Outreach Community Residents Posting", says resident doctors will be divided into four groups, each consisting of three PG students and accompanied by a PRO to visit villages and bring in the patients for admission.

One of the PROs assigned to one group of the PG students told The Telegraph that it would not be difficult to get patients. "We meet people in their homes and explain that our hospital can provide good services to address their illnesses, if any," the PRO said.

A doctor who has in the past complained to the National Medical Commission (NMC), the apex regulatory authority for medical education, about what he had described as unethical practices said the Mathura college circular was not surprising.

"Such things don’t surprise me any more,” said Vitull Gupta, a consultant physician in Bhatinda, Punjab, who said he had on earlier occasions independently complained to the NMC seeking action against another private medical college for absentee faculty and empty medical wards.