National Health Commission cancels MBBS quota limit and relaxes population standards

New Delhi: In a major policy shift, the National Medical Council (NMC) has removed key restrictions on the expansion of Bachelor of Medicine seats, opening the door to a significant increase in undergraduate medical degrees across the country.In a gazette notification issued on April 27, the NMC revised the regulations 2023 regarding new medical colleges and expansion of existing courses.The amendment removed a provision that limited the total number of MBBS seats to 150 per college for those seeking expansion from the academic year 2024-25. Universities seeking to increase enrollment will no longer be subject to this cap.The committee also removed the requirement for states to maintain 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh people, which was the criterion that earlier guided approval of new seats.Officials said the changes are intended to provide institutions with greater flexibility and support faster expansion of medical education capacity in response to growing physician demand.In another operational change, the NMC revised norms related to distance between medical colleges and their teaching hospitals. The rules now impose a maximum distance of 10 kilometers instead of a 30-minute cap on travel time. For northeastern and Himalayan states, the limit has been relaxed to 15 kilometers.These amendments have been notified under the NMC Act, 2019 and are applicable to Undergraduate Medical Education Committee Seat Expansion Guidelines and Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023.The move is expected to benefit government and private medical colleges looking to expand capacity, especially in states where seats are in short supply, while regulators will have the onus to maintain quality standards and infrastructure.