National medical commission removes cap on MBBS seats, eases population norm

NEW DELHI: In a significant policy shift, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has removed key restrictions on MBBS seat expansion, opening the door for a substantial increase in undergraduate medical seats across the country.In a gazette notification issued on April 27, the NMC amended its 2023 regulations governing new medical colleges and expansion of existing courses.The amendment deletes a clause that capped the total number of MBBS seats at 150 per college for those seeking expansion from the 2024–25 academic year. Colleges seeking to increase intake will no longer be bound by this upper limit.The commission has also removed the requirement that states maintain a ratio of 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh population, a norm that earlier guided approvals for new seats.Officials indicated that the changes are intended to provide greater flexibility to institutions and support faster expansion of medical education capacity in line with rising demand for doctors.In another operational change, the NMC has revised norms related to the distance between a medical college and its teaching hospital. Instead of a travel-time cap of 30 minutes, the rules now prescribe a maximum distance of 10 km. For northeastern and Himalayan states, the limit has been relaxed to 15 km.The amendments have been notified under the NMC Act, 2019, and apply to both the Undergraduate Medical Education Board’s seat expansion guidelines and the Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023.The move is expected to benefit both government and private medical colleges looking to scale up capacity, particularly in states where demand for seats continues to outstrip supply, while placing the onus on regulators to maintain quality standards and infrastructure.