In a significant move to address the shortage of specialist doctors, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved approximately 450 additional postgraduate (PG) medical seats for the upcoming 2025–26 academic year. This expansion comes through a streamlined appeal process and includes high-demand specialties across the country.
Streamlined Process for PG Seat Expansion
The newly sanctioned seats, which are mostly incremental additions of one to four seats per program, have been cleared by the NMC's first appeal committee. Dr. M. K. Ramesh, President of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), confirmed that the approvals are cumulative and ongoing. While initial notices mentioned 171 and later 262 seats, the total has now reached around 450, with the possibility of further additions.
To expedite the admission process, MARB has directed counselling authorities to include these new PG seats immediately. They have been instructed not to wait for individual Letters of Permission (LoPs) and to treat the consolidated list uploaded on the NMC website as a valid document for counselling. Officials state this online publication of appeal approvals aims to speed up admissions and enhance transparency.
New Fee Structure and Removal of MBBS Seat Cap
In a parallel development impacting undergraduate medical education, the NMC has introduced a non-refundable one-time registration fee of Rs 2 lakh plus 18% GST. This fee will apply to institutions seeking to establish new medical colleges or increase their MBBS seat intake starting from the 2026–27 academic year.
Explaining the rationale, Dr. Ramesh emphasized that the fee is intended to ensure serious intent and accountability from applicants. He stressed that establishing a medical college is a significant commitment and cannot be treated as a routine business decision. This registration fee is separate from the existing application fee, which is Rs 5 lakh for 50 MBBS seats and increases with higher intake proposals.
Furthermore, the commission has removed the earlier cap that limited institutions to applying for an increase of a maximum of 100 MBBS seats at one time. Dr. Ramesh clarified that this cap was withdrawn because it lacked explicit backing in existing regulations and could not be legally sustained.
Focus on High-Demand Specialties
The bulk of the newly approved 450 postgraduate seats are in critical and competitive specialties. The list includes:
- General Medicine
- Radiodiagnosis
- Dermatology
- Paediatrics
- Orthopaedics
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Psychiatry
- General Surgery
While a majority of these seats have been allocated to private medical colleges, the available list indicates that some government institutions have also benefited from the expansion. This distribution is expected to bolster specialist training capacity nationwide, addressing gaps in crucial healthcare domains.
The NMC's twin decisions—accelerating PG seat availability and restructuring the financial and regulatory framework for new colleges—mark a proactive step in scaling India's medical education infrastructure to meet future healthcare demands.
