New Medical-Colleges Added: The central government has approved 11,682 MBBS seats and 8,967 postgraduate (PG) seats for the academic year 2025-26, while 43 new medical colleges have been established across the country, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed the Rajya Sabha.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, State Minister for Health Anupriya Patel said the data was shared by the National Medical Commission (NMC). These figures include seats in medical-colleges as well as AIIMS and other Institutes of National Importance (INIs).
Medical-Colleges: Medical Education Capacity has Increased
According to data presented by the ministry in the Rajya Sabha, India’s medical education capacity has increased significantly over the past decade. The number of medical colleges has increased from 387 in 2014 to 818 now. During this period, UG (MBBS) seats increased from 51,348 to 128,976, while PG seats increased from 31,185 to 85,020.
The Ministry stated that the NMC processes applications from medical colleges every year to establish new institutions and increase undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) seats. Applications are submitted online and evaluated in the academic year for which they are filed.
Assessment is conducted by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) under the NMC. The board determines the inspection process before approving. This may include verification of digital documents, Aadhaar-based attendance records, Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) data, photographs, video feeds, or surprise physical inspections and video conferencing.
Based on the assessment, the Commission issues either a Letter of Permission (LoP) or a Letter of Disapproval (LoD) in accordance with the regulations governing the establishment of a medical institution and the minimum standards for UG and PG courses.
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