NMC removes MBBS seat limit to spur expansion, tackle rural doctor gap

NMC removes MBBS seat limit to spur expansion, tackle rural doctor gap

With 24 lakh students competing every year for just 1.3 lakh seats, this relaxation aims to fix the supply-demand mismatch

 Divyansh.Kumar@timesofindia.com 11.05.2026

In a policy shift aimed at addressing the shortage of doctors, NMC has revised its 2024-25 regulation that capped MBBS intake at 150 seats per medical college. This relaxation will allow established medical colleges to expand their student intake and increase the overall number of MBBS seats. Additionally, NMC has also removed the population-based quota mandating 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh population in a state/UT. This relaxation is primarily an attempt to address a staggering supply-demand mismatch in aspirants with respect to the number of MBBS seats. 

Every year, nearly 23 to 24 lakh students sit for NEET UG, competing for around 1.2 to 1.3 lakh available MBBS seats. Detailing the rationale behind the policy reversal, a senior NMC official tells Education Times , “The amendments notified by the NMC are part of a broader process of rationalisation and simplification of regulations based on implementation experience, stakeholder feedback, and evolving healthcare requirements. 

The objective is to facilitate expansion of quality medical education capacity while retaining the core safeguards necessary for maintaining standards.” The earlier provisions regarding seat cap and population-linked restrictions were introduced to promote balanced regional growth. “However, during implementation, it was observed that a more flexible framework linked to actual institutional capacity, such as faculty, clinical material, infrastructure and hospital strength, would be a more appropriate regulatory approach than rigid numerical ceilings. This will also help in developing regional hubs of medical education,” the official says, adding, “The removal of the 150-seat cap does not mean unregulated expansion. 

Any increase in intake will be subjected to compliance with prescribed norms relating to faculty availability, bed occupancy, patient load, infrastructure, laboratories, teaching facilities, and overall training capacity.” The population-based cap, which mandated 100 seats per 10 lakh population, was introduced just last year but faced massive backlash from southern states highlighting high medical seat densities. A senior Ministry of Health and Welfare (MoHFW) official explains that the cap was introduced as 11-12 medical colleges mushroomed in a small pocket in Puducherry and few other regions. “Several southern states opposed the cap, arguing that the permission to start a medical college was given after physical inspections, which confirm required clinical infrastructure and sufficient patient footfall,” says the MoHFW official, adding, “Instead of unnecessarily blocking their growth, the medical colleges should be allowed after strict inspection. 

If an area lacks patients, a college naturally will not be able to open or sustain itself there.” New Safeguards Indiscriminate addition of medical seats will push quantity over quality, offering less hands-on practice with patients to students. The MoHFW official highlights new technological safeguards. “We cannot rely on one-day physical inspections. Medical colleges often get tipped-off, and they stage manage the arrangement for a single day. Instead, we need continuous monitor through AIbacked CCTV and automated student and patient attendance tracking systems. If a system monitors a college over an entire month, it cannot be manipulated.”