The National Medical Commission (NMC) issued a public notice on 8th October 2026 directing all medical colleges and healthcare institutions to constitute a dedicated Patient Safety Committee / Cell and appoint a ‘Patient Safety Nodal Officer’.
This notice was issued following communication from the Additional Director General of Health Services (Addl. DGHS), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, pointing out that an estimated 52 lakh medical injuries occurring annually in India due to medical errors, medication mistakes, and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).
This directive is aligned with the National Patient Safety Action Plan (NPSAP) 2030. It seeks to build a non-punitive safety culture, reduce avoidable treatment costs, and strengthen public trust in healthcare facilities.
This cell serves as an institutional platform chaired by the Head of Institution, Medical Superintendent, or Director, with the Patient Safety Nodal Officer acting as Member Secretary. Institutions must nominate faculty leads across 11 core safety domains, namely, medication safety; surgical safety; blood transfusion safety; medical device safety; laboratory & diagnostic safety; infection prevention & control; operational research; patient, family & caregiver engagement; vaccine & injection safety; facility safety; and safety in AYUSH systems.
Hospitals are expected to systematically investigate incidents, near-misses, and high-risk events through Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA). Institutions must conduct periodic meetings (monthly or quarterly), maintain meeting minutes, and submit compliance details and Action Taken Reports (ATRs) to the National Patient Safety Secretariat (NPSS) at [emailprotected]. Hospitals are also encouraged to utilize digital HMIS/HIS platforms for streamlined safety reporting, monitoring, and institutional learning.
This mandate is a clear pointer to the policy focus toward enhancing patient safety. Hospitals of all sizes will be expected to give more importance to this aspect of healthcare.
Source: Public Notice issued by National Medical Commission dated 8th October 2026