NEW DELHI, Oct 19: In a significant move aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge on Independence Day 2024 to create 75,000 new medical seats over five years, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 10,650 new MBBS seats for the academic year 2024-25.
This increase is part of a broader strategy to enhance the availability of medical education in India.
The addition of 41 new medical colleges has also brought the total number of medical institutions in the country to 816. According to NMC Chief Dr Abhijat Sheth, out of the 170 applications received for expanding undergraduate (UG) seats, comprising 41 from government colleges and 129 from private institutions, a total of 10,650 MBBS seats have been approved.
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This will raise the overall MBBS seat count to 1,37,600 for the 2024-25 academic year, including seats in Institutes of National Importance (INI).
For postgraduate (PG) courses, the NMC has received over 3,500 applications for new and renewed seats.
Dr Sheth stated that the commission expects an increase of around 5,000 PG seats, taking the total to 67,000 PG seats nationwide. The overall increase in both UG and PG seats this year will be approximately 15,000.
While the final approval process and counselling have experienced some delays, officials have assured that these procedures will be completed within the prescribed timelines.
A blueprint detailing the schedule for accreditation, examinations, and seat matrix approvals for the upcoming academic year will be published soon. Additionally, the portal for 2025-26 applications is set to open in early November.
Notably, Dr Sheth highlighted that this year marks the first time in recent history that all appeals against the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) decisions were resolved without any court interventions.
In an effort to enhance the quality of medical education, Dr Sheth also announced that the NMC is exploring the integration of clinical research into the mainstream medical curriculum.
Plans are underway for a collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to strengthen research infrastructure and promote clinical research in medical education.
The NMC’s efforts are seen as a step towards improving medical education capacity in the country, in line with the government’s vision of expanding healthcare infrastructure and addressing the growing demand for medical professionals. (PTI)
