NEWS TODAY 23.03.2026

NMC proposes mandatory corpus fund for medical colleges; incomplete applications to be rejected

NMC proposes mandatory corpus fund for medical colleges; incomplete applications to be rejected

Anuja JaiswalTNN

Feb 23, 2026, 8:08 IST

NEW DELHI: In a bid to tighten the noose on regulatory compliance in medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed making a dedicated corpus fund mandatory for new and recently operational medical colleges, while warning that incomplete applications will be rejected outright. Under draft amendments issued this week to the 2023 regulations governing establishment and expansion of medical institutions, any entity seeking to open a new medical college will have to submit an undertaking confirming that it will maintain a dedicated corpus fund exclusively for the functioning of the institution.

The amount will be determined later by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) and may be revised from time to time. The provision also refers to already operational colleges. Dr MK Ramesh, president of the MARB told TOI that the earlier regulation had mentioned a corpus fund but did not specify any amount, making it difficult to enforce. Instead of deleting the clause, the Commission chose to retain it by seeking an undertaking from colleges, with the exact amount to be fixed after due deliberation. While the wording includes existing institutions, the intent is largely to ensure financial safeguards for new and recently opened colleges. 

Once decided, the corpus amount will be uniform. The draft also marks a clear shift toward stricter scrutiny of applications. It clarifies that under the NMC Act, a “scheme” is valid only when an application is complete with all mandatory documents. In the past, some applicants submitted incomplete proposals and later sought additional time — or court intervention — to furnish missing documents. The amendment aims to end that practice by stating that incomplete applications will be rejected at the outset, without further opportunity. 

Mandatory documents include a valid Essentiality Certificate from the concerned state or Union Territory government, a valid Consent of Affiliation from a recognised university, and a solvency certificate issued by a chartered accountant within 90 days prior to the application deadline. The regulator has also empowered itself to withhold processing or reject applications for new schemes or seat increases for specific academic years. In a strong compliance warning, the draft states that any attempt to pressurize MARB or the NMC through individuals or agencies could lead to immediate halt or rejection of the application. India has witnessed rapid expansion in medical colleges and seats over the past decade. 

While the growth has improved access to medical education, concerns about infrastructure gaps, faculty shortages and financial sustainability have persisted. By mandating a corpus fund and eliminating room for incomplete proposals, the NMC appears to be signalling that future expansion must be backed by financial preparedness and full regulatory compliance. 

The draft amendments have been opened for public consultation for 30 days, after which the Commission will decide on finalising the revised rules.

NMC tightens grip on PG medical courses with revised norms; check new requirements here

NMC tightens grip on PG medical courses with revised norms; check new requirements here 

The National Medical Commission has released updated Minimum Standards of Requirements for Post-Graduate Courses, 2023, effective immediately. These revised rules mandate enhanced infrastructure, digital integration, stricter faculty attendance, and improved patient load requirements for all medical colleges. The changes aim to elevate the quality of postgraduate medical education across India.

TOI Education

Mar 22, 2026, 12:01 IST

NMC tightens grip on PG medical courses with revised norms The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a fresh notice announcing changes to the Minimum Standards of Requirements for Post-Graduate Courses, 2023. The updated rules have come into effect immediately and all medical colleges must follow them. The notice was issued by the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB), which works under the NMC and is responsible for setting rules for postgraduate medical education in India. 

What is this notice about 

The notice updates the existing Post-Graduate Minimum Standards of Requirements (PGMSR), 2023. These standards define what medical colleges need to have in order to start and run postgraduate medical courses. This includes rules related to infrastructure, faculty, hospital facilities, equipment and patient load. The standards were earlier released in January 2024 and updated in August 2024 and January 2025. Now, another amendment has been issued in February 2026. 

Key message from NMC

All medical colleges and institutions offering postgraduate medical courses must follow the updated rules from now on. There is no transition period. The changes apply immediately. What has changed: Explained simply

Basic hospital and infrastructure requirements Medical colleges must have proper hospital buildings and facilities as per government rules. This includes outpatient departments, inpatient wards, operation theatres, Intensive Care Units (ICU), laboratories and emergency services. All required approvals from authorities must already be in place.

Equipment and learning facilities Departments must have modern equipment and proper training facilities. Colleges must also provide digital libraries, seminar halls and internet access. Teaching rooms with audio visual facilities are now mandatory for each department.

Patient load requirement Hospitals must have enough patients for proper training. At least 80 percent of hospital beds should be occupied throughout the year Departments must have enough ICU and High Dependency Unit (HDU) beds Patient records must be maintained digitally

Faculty rules All faculty members must work full time and cannot do private practice during working hours. They must have at least 75 percent attendance in a year.

New monitoring measures CCTV cameras must be installed in medical colleges Attendance of staff must be recorded digitally through Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) Colleges must maintain proper patient data and hospital records

Mandatory college website details Every medical college must have a website and regularly update it. The website should include List of departments, PG courses and number of seats, Faculty details of last three years, Student admission details, Patient attendance and bed occupancy, Number of surgeries performed.

Bed and department requirements Standalone postgraduate institutes must have at least 220 beds and certain compulsory departments like: Biochemistry Pathology Microbiology Radio diagnosis Anaesthesiology

New digital health integration Colleges must link their systems with the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) and generate ABHA IDs for patients.

Limit on PG seats In non government medical colleges, a maximum of four seats will be allowed per year when starting a new postgraduate course or increasing intake.

Workload requirements for training The notice also sets clear rules for clinical workload. For example minimum number of patients per day, minimum surgeries per week, required number of X-rays, CT scans and other tests, specific workload targets for departments like pathology, microbiology and radiology. These ensure students get enough practical exposure during training.

Faculty to student ratio The number of teachers required depends on the number of students. For example: Professor can guide 2 to 3 students Associate Professor can guide 2 students Assistant Professor can guide 1 student

Limits on units and beds 

Each department can have a maximum of six units and each unit can have up to 40 beds. Read the official notice here. The new rules focus on improving quality in postgraduate medical education by ensuring better infrastructure, enough patients for training, stricter monitoring and proper faculty availability. Medical colleges across India are now required to immediately follow these updated standards.

NCAHP makes class XII Science mandatory for admission to paramedical colleges

NCAHP makes class XII Science mandatory for admission to paramedical colleges 

Divyansh.Kumar@timesofindia.com 

TIMES OF INDIA BENGALURU 23.03.2026

By raising academic eligibility from class X to class XII for paramedical education, the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) aims to standardise allied health training, strengthen scientific competence and crackdown on substandard commercialised colleges. 

The change in eligibility requirement also aims to bring Indian qualifications at par with global standards. The new framework, effective from 2026-27 academic year, will end the long-standing class X entry route for paramedical diplomas and make Science at the senior secondary level compulsory for clinical courses at nearly 500 government institutes offering around 48,000 seats and at about 3,800 private institutes having over 3.6 lakh seats. 

The move, claims NCAHP, was long-overdue as the sector was fragmented, uneven and vulnerable to low-quality provision. “The core issue is fragmentation, in a city, we have 10 different types of allied programmes being run, but they are all awarding the exact same degree. The basic objective of the NCAHP Act — which covers 57 professions — is the standardisation of education, services, and establishing minimum standards for institutions,” says Dr Yagna U Shukla, chairperson, NCAHP, Delhi. 

She adds that healthcare training cannot be compared with polytechnic education. “Unlike polytechnic courses where students deal with machines, a class X base is sufficient, however, healthcare workers support human lives. Therefore, a science background is an absolute necessity. The requirement was also backed by professionals who found that students without a science background struggled with coursework,” Dr Shukla says. 

The Commission had opted to use NEET for allied degree courses because the act mandates entry and exit examinations. “Taking NEET indirectly serves the purpose of an entry-level exam based on class XII qualifications,” she says. However, the NCAHP recently deferred a plan to make the NEET-UG exam mandatory for UG degree courses such as Physiotherapy (BPT) and Occupational Therapy (BOT) to the 2027-28 academic year, citing logistical challenges from NTA regarding an unexpected surge in candidates. 

The reform has triggered concern in several states, particularly in Karnataka, where Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash R Patil has warned that nearly 500 paramedical colleges could face closure if the class X route is removed. But Dr Shukla says the transition was not abrupt and that institutions had been given notice. She suggested that shorter, non-clinical or skillbased programmes could move under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). 

“We are not restricting the eligibility but standardising it. For the 1 or 2year programmes that do not require a strict science background, need not be closed.” 

Access Debate 

For decades, post-class X paramedical diplomas functioned as a fast-track route to employment, especially for students from rural and lower-income families. Some fear the new entry norm could shut that door and shrink the grassroots healthcare workforce. Dr B Karunakar Reddy, former VC, Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, Telangana, says the class X diploma ecosystem had often been driven by commercial interests rather than quality training. “In many districts, you will find 10 to 15 paramedical colleges. Many of these were just one room setups running multiple courses with practically no training and no hospital attachments. The diploma was not very useful unless a private hospital hired candidates and retrained,” says Dr Reddy. 

The shift to class XII-level allied health sciences degrees has begun showing results in Telangana. “The response has been excellent, and the seats fill up completely,” he says

NEWS TODAY 22.03.2026