Ongole Medical College Fined Rs 1 Crore by NMC

Ongole Medical College Fined Rs 1 Crore by NMC 

DC Correspondent 15 March 2026 8:35 PM 

Penalty for failing to disclose stipend details of MBBS interns and PG residents

National Medical Commission acts against Ongole Medical College over stipend rule violations. 

Nellore: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has imposed a Rs 1 crore penalty on Government Medical College, Ongole, in Prakasam district for failing to comply with its directions on disclosure and payment of stipends to MBBS interns and postgraduate medical residents.

The action follows an NMC public notice issued on July 11, 2025, directing all medical colleges to publish details of stipends paid to interns and PG residents on their official websites to ensure transparency and uniformity.

According to the commission, the Ongole medical college was among seven institutions across the country that failed to furnish the required information despite repeated reminders, thereby violating provisions of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, and related regulations.

The NMC stated that continued non-compliance with stipend payment and disclosure norms could invite further regulatory action, including restrictions on admissions, suspension of permissions, or other disciplinary measures.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle )

India is adding NEET PG seats fast: Why are thousands going vacant?

India is adding NEET PG seats fast: Why are thousands going vacant? 

India is creating more NEET PG seats than ever, but a stubborn question keeps returning: why do so many still go vacant? 

Rajya Sabha data shows a sharp rise in postgraduate seat addition alongside a persistent trail of empty seats. The result is a medical education system expanding rapidly, yet unable to make a significant slice of its specialist seats worth taking.

Saswati SarkarTOI Education

Mar 13, 2026, 18:55 IST

Thousands of NEET PG seats go empty. 

The Centre has recently released fresh figures showing a major expansion in medical education. The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on March 10 that 43 new medical colleges had been set up for the 2025–26 academic year and 11,682 MBBS seats and 8,967 postgraduate seats had been approved throughout the country.That’s 20,649 seats in total. 

The postgraduate number, the ministry said, covers seats in AIIMS and other Institutes of National Importance. The response also cited the government’s preferred blueprint for expansion: Link new medical colleges to existing district or referral hospitals and position the exercise as a solution to regional imbalance. A total of 157 medical colleges have been approved via the centrally sponsored scheme at a cost of ₹41,332.41 crore up to now. It has already delivered ₹23,246.10 crore of its share of ₹26,715.84 crore, the ministry noted. That stated priority is known and politically potent: Underserved areas, aspirational districts, spots where the map of medical education has long felt thin. But seat creation is an easy headline. The uncomfortable narrative begins when the glow of the press note wanes. Even as the system keeps adding capacity, it has been struggling to fill a substantial number of postgraduate medical seats. 

This is not a stray aberration. Rajya Sabha data shows vacant PG seats have persisted in the thousands across years. As a consequence, the NEET PG qualifying percentile had to be cut sharply to keep seats from lying empty. That is the paradox now staring at the system. India is generating the optics of mass expansion, but part of that expansion isn’t attracting takers without constantly lowering the entry threshold. So the real question is no longer how many seats have been created. It is why so many postgraduate medical seats still need to be rescued. India’s NEET PG seat curve takes a sharp upward turn Data presented in the Rajya Sabha in February 2026 by Patel shows that the story of postgraduate medical seat expansion over the last five years has not been one of calm, steady growth. It has moved in jolts. INDIA'S MEDICAL SEAT EXPANSION: A SNAPSHOT

Academic year

NEET UG seats added

NEET PG seats added

2021–22

8,790

4,705

2022–23

7,398

2,874

2023–24

9,652

4,713

2024–25

8,641

4,186

2025–26

11,682

8,416

Source: Data presented by the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in Rajya Sabha, February 2026

In 2021–22, the increase stood at 4,705 seats. A year later, it dropped sharply to 2,874. It climbed back to 4,713 in 2023–24, slipped again to 4,186 in 2024–25, and then suddenly shot up to 8,416 in 2025–26. That last number changes the texture of the trend. For four years, postgraduate expansion stayed trapped below the 5,000-seat mark, moving forward, then stumbling, then recovering, then losing pace again. Then came 2025–26, and the graph stopped behaving like a cautious line. With 8,416 PG seats added in a single year, the latest figure is not just the highest in the series, it is almost double the previous year’s addition. This is not incremental growth but a visible shift in scale. This is particularly important because the NEET PG story is the more serious end of medical education. 

While MBBS seats widen entry, PG medical seats strengthen the specialist pipeline. They decide how many trained doctors move into advanced disciplines, teaching roles and higher-end institutional care. So when PG seat expansion suddenly leaps like this, it suggests that the system is trying to push harder at the specialist end, where capacity has historically grown more unevenly. The undergraduate trend, by comparison, looks steadier. UG seat addition stood at 8,790 in 2021–22, fell to 7,398 in 2022–23, rose to 9,652 in 2023–24, dipped to 8,641 in 2024–25, and then climbed to 11,682 in 2025–26. So yes, MBBS expansion remains strong and politically visible. But it is the PG curve this year that really grabs attention. The undergraduate line rises. The postgraduate line lurches and in 2025–26, it lunges. NEET PG: The problem of increasing seats and rising vacancies A temporary problem is supposed to leave after making a mess. The issue of vacant seats in India’s postgraduate medical education seems to have unpacked its bags. 

VACANT MEDICAL SEATS IN INDIA: A FOUR-YEAR SNAPSHOT

Academic year

Vacant UG seats

Vacant PG seats

2021–22

141

3,744

2022–23

2,027

4,400

2023–24

490

3,028

2024–25

380

2,849

Source: Data presented by the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in Rajya Sabha, February 2026

For four consecutive academic years, NEET PG seats have remained vacant and the numbers are too large to be dismissed and too consistent to be treated as an exception. The count stood at 3,744 in 2021–22 and worsened to 4,400 in 2022–23. After that, it softened somewhat: 3,028 in 2023–24 and 2,849 in 2024–25. But this recovery is not reassuring in any sense. A system that still leaves nearly three thousand postgraduate seats empty is not battling a stray counselling hiccup. It is revealing a deeper discomfort. The state keeps producing seats but candidates keep refusing a significant chunk of them. The seat exists on paper, but not quite in aspiration. The undergraduate comparison only makes the contrast harsher. 

UG vacancies were a mere 141 in 2021–22. 

They spiked to 2,027 in 2022–23, but then fell sharply to 490 in 2023–24 and 380 in 2024–25. The UG curve looks bruised but capable of self-correction. The postgraduate curve, unfortunately, does not. The system here is not merely struggling to fill seats. It is struggling to make enough of them feel worth taking. Why young doctors are walking past NEET PG seats The story of vacant PG medical seats is not one of reluctant students. The vacancy trail, according to Dr Rohan Krishnan, Chief Patron of Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), suggests something more serious. He puts it bluntly, “Vacant seats are a symptom of systemic dysfunction, not student apathy.” The dysfunction begins, he argues, with the way seats are being created. “Seats have been added rapidly without ensuring adequate faculty strength, patient load, clinical exposure and teaching infrastructure,” says Krishnan. These are major pain points for postgraduate doctors. The second problem is where many of these seats are located and what kind of institutional life they offer. “Many vacant seats are concentrated in remote or underserved regions and in institutions with erratic stipends, excessive workload, inadequate safety and weak academic culture,” Dr Krishnan observes. “Young doctors are not avoiding service, they are avoiding exploitative and unsafe training environments.” 

He also points to the deterrent effect of state bond policies. “Long compulsory service periods, financial penalties running into lakhs and unclear enforcement mechanisms deter candidates, especially those from modest backgrounds, from accepting seats that may trap them in prolonged or uncertain obligations,” Krishnan says. Add to these the problems of multiple rounds of counselling, last-minute rule changes, and poor inter-state coordination. “All these result in candidates losing eligibility, seats remaining blocked till late rounds and no practical window for relocation,” he adds. Bottom line In the end, the NEET PG vacancy story is not about a few leftover seats after counselling. 

The problem is not one of dwindling aspiration, but of value creation. Adding more seats to boost higher education in medicine is an achievement for sure, but only if those seats offer the kind of reliability that aspirants find good enough to go for. A seat existing in theory and government documents cannot make it worthwhile. Policymakers need to stop treating the empty PG seats as temporary embarrassment that can be covered up by the easiest shortcut: Percentile reduction. They need to acknowledge and address the hard truths behind this systemic failure to make medical specialization in India a worthy pursuit. Click here for the February 2026 Rajya Sabha data.

1,28,976 MBBS, 85,020 PG seats, 818 medical colleges in India: Health Ministry cites NMC data, regulations in Parliament

1,28,976 MBBS, 85,020 PG seats, 818 medical colleges in India: Health Ministry cites NMC data, regulations in Parliament 

Written By : Adity Saha Published On 11 Mar 2026 5:49 PM | Updated On 11 Mar 2026 5:49 PM

New Delhi: Altogether 1,28,976 MBBS, 85,020 PG seats and 818 medical colleges are available in the country as per the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Health Ministry recently told the Parliament while citing NMC data and regulations.

Further, under CSS schemes, 4977 additional MBBS seats and 8058 additional PG seats have been approved in medical colleges across the country, Union Health Minister Smt Anupriya Patel informed the Rajya Sabha.

While informing Parliament about the increase in seat capacity in medical colleges, the Minister said that, as per the National Medical Commission, the number of medical colleges has increased by 111.36%, from 387 in 2013-14 to 818 at present.

Further, she stated that MBBS seats have increased by 151.18%, from 51,348 before 2013-14 to 1,28,976 currently, while PG seats have risen by 172.63%, from 31,185 before 2014 to 85,020 at present, improving access to medical education in the country.

"The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for ‘Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals’ with preference to underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing Government or private medical college. Under these schemes, additional 4977 MBBS seats and 8058 PG seats have been approved in medical colleges across the country," the Minister said.

The information was shared while responding to a series of queries raised by parliament member who sought to know the reasons and details of sanctioning additional medical seats in Government colleges to increase MBBS and postgraduate capacity; whether the increase in seats is accompanied by proportional enhancement in faculty, infrastructure and clinical training facilities to maintain education quality, if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor; whether the National Medical Commission monitors compliance with regulations and standards across colleges and the steps being taken to ensure equitable access to medical education across States and underserved regions.

In response, MoS Health Patel informed that the National Medical Commission (NMC) invites online applications every year from medical colleges and institutions across the country for the establishment of new medical colleges and for increase of Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) medical seats. NMC issues Letter of Permission (LoP)/ Letter of Disapproval (LoD) after due scrutiny and assessment in accordance with the provisions of the Establishment of Medical Institutions, Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023, the Minimum Standard Requirement for Undergraduate courses (UGMSR), 2023, the Minimum Standard Requirement for Postgraduate courses (PGMSR), 2023, and other relevant norms issued by NMC from time to time.

"The "Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023 (MSMER2023)" makes it obligatory on the part of the medical college or medical institution, after its establishment, to furnish an Annual Disclosure Report (ADR) to the concerned Board, satisfying such conditions provided under the notified MSRs by Under-Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) or Post-Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) and regulations of NMC. The respective Board (PGMEB or UGMEB) undertakes the evaluation of the ADR as and when deemed necessary for their assessment and otherwise," She added.

To ensure equitable to medical education across States and underserved regions, the Minister informed the parliament about the following key measures introduced under UGMSR, 2023 and PGMSR, 2023.

(i) Removal of the earlier mandatory land requirement, with provision for a unitary campus or a maximum of two campuses within a distance of 10 km between the medical college and the teaching hospital.

(ii) Adoption of a need-based approach for scaling infrastructure, equipment and manpower.

(iii) Permission to start PG courses with two seats with two faculty members without the earlier requirement of three faculty members and a senior resident.

(iv) Provision enabling medical colleges to apply for starting PG courses one year after commencement of the undergraduate course, while Government Medical Colleges may start PG courses simultaneously with UG courses.

(d) The government has made concerted efforts on expanding the medical college infrastructure under various CSS Schemes over last one decade so that medical education becomes more equitable and accessible across States. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for ‘Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals’ with preference to underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing Government or private medical college. A total of 157 Medical Colleges have been approved in the various districts across the country. Further, support has also been provided for Strengthening/Upgradation of existing Sate Government/Central Government medical colleges to increase the number of MBBS (UG) and PG seats under another CSS Scheme. Under these schemes, additional 4977 MBBS seats and 8058 PG seats have been approved in medical colleges across the country.

Karnataka among top 3 states with highest internship slots for FMGs With 4,652 internship seats for academic year 2026-27,

Karnataka among top 3 states with highest internship slots for FMGs With 4,652 internship seats for academic year 2026-27, 

Karnataka accounts for over 10 per cent of the total slots available nationwide.

DH Web Desk Last Updated : 11 March 2026, 19:15 IST 

For representative purposeCredit: iStock photos Karnataka is among the states offering the highest number of internship seats for Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in India, according to a circular issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Tuesday (March 10).

As per the state-wise matrix released by the NMC, Karnataka has 4,652 Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship (CRMI) seats available for FMGs for the academic year 2026–27. This accounts for over 10 percent of the total 43,250 internship slots available nationwide.

As per the data, Karnataka ranks among the top states offering internship seats for FMGs, with the first being Uttar Pradesh (5,034 seats), followed by Telangana (4,871 seats).

Other states with large numbers of seats include Maharashtra (3,662) and Tamil Nadu (3,126). The NMC released the state-wise and college-wise matrix while directing State Medical Councils to begin allotting internship slots to eligible FMGs.

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The data also shows that Karnataka has seen a significant increase in MBBS seats in recent years.

According to the NMC data, the state had 10,045 MBBS seats in the academic year 2021–22, which increased to 13,944 seats by 2025–26, marking an addition of 3,899 MBBS seats over four years.

Also Read:Karnataka gets highest number of medical seats in country Several other states have also recorded major increases in the same period. Telangana added 4,500 seats, the highest in the country, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 4,372 seats. Maharashtra added 2,929 seats, while Tamil Nadu added 2,325 seats. This expansion has significantly increased the pool of internship slots that can be allotted to foreign medical graduates.

As per the guidelines released by NMC, all seats added during and after the academic year 2022-23 will be allotted to FMGs for their Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI)

How CRMI seats for FMGs are calculated

The NMC advisory outlines how internship slots must be earmarked for FMGs in medical colleges.

As per the circular, State Medical Councils must allocate CRMI slots based on the following criteria:

7.5 per cent of the permitted intake of interns in established medical colleges

100 per cent of CRMI seats in newly established medical colleges

100 per cent of the seats added due to increased MBBS intake between academic years 2022–23 and 2025–26

These provisions were introduced after multiple representations and court cases filed by FMGs over delays and denial of internship opportunities in India.

The NMC has directed State Medical Councils to initiate the allotment process for eligible FMGs in coordination with their respective Directorates of Medical Education.

Counselling ends, no takers for 783 medical PG seats in Karnataka

Counselling ends, no takers for 783 medical PG seats in Karnataka

 SruthySusan.Ullas@timesofindia.com 10.03.2026

TIMES OF INDIA BENGALURU

 Bengaluru : With counselling ending on Saturday, 783 of 4,773 postgraduate medical seats — or 16% — have remained unfilled in Karnataka. The PG seats were available for counselling through Karnataka Examinations Authority. Around 14,400 students registered for counselling and 10,000 entered options for medical PG through KEA. 

According to experts, several factors have contributed to this. First, addition of 967 seats in one year. Second, long counselling cycles. Third, most of these seats are under management quota with annual fees ranging from Rs 25,000 for an anatomy seat to Rs 1.3 crore for a dermatology seat in private colleges.

 What makes this year’s trends different is that seats in coveted streams are vacant. There were 500 general medicine seats available, of which 37 are vacant. In MD radiodiagnosis, 35 of 287 seats found no takers. In general surgery, 11 of 425 seats were unfilled. Dermatology had 15 of 196 seats and paediatrics had 25 of 362 seats vacant.

 Most vacant seats are in management quota where fees are high: RGUHS VC

 Pre and para-clinical seats had only a handful of takers. Only eight students took up anatomy seats, of the total 119 seats available. Twenty students opted for physiology, 21 for biochemistry, and 70 for pharmacology. Students showed better interest in pathology, with 226 students opting for it. Compare this with previous year’s admissions. 

In 2024-25, there were 3,806 medical PG seats available through KEA counselling. Of these, 3,378 were allotted, leaving 428 seats vacant. It’s a 10% vacancy. All the vacant seats that year were in pre and para-clinical programmes. The trend was the same in 2023 too, when 478 seats were vacant — all from pre and para clinical. There was an increase of 967 seats in a single year this time. 

“The mindset of students applying for MBBS and MD is different. In MBBS, at whichever stage seats are added, they get filled up. Not with PG. From what we observed, the seats added in the middle of counselling do not find many takers. PG students charted out their career paths,” said SNVL Narasimha Raju, chairman, The Oxford Educational Institutions. 

“Counselling takes a very long time amid court cases and other delays. There is very little gap between one counselling and the next year’s exam. So students decide to prepare better for the next year’s exam, rather than pay for the highfee category seat this year. Thus, the NRI/management seats are left vacant in many institutions,” he added. 

“This time, there was an increase in the number of seats. Most vacant seats are in the management quota. These fees are so high that it is out of reach for many students. It is sad that seats are going vacant even when there are hundreds of students repeating the exam, vying for those seats. One way to do it is to subsidise the management seats and make it more affordable for the students,” said Bhagavan BC, vice-chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. “All the rounds of counselling are over, unless the National Medical Commission permits more,” said Islavuddeen Gadyal, administrative officer, KEA.

Kerala HC admits doctors' appeals against order allowing 'Dr' prefix for physiotherapists

Kerala HC admits doctors' appeals against order allowing 'Dr' prefix for physiotherapists 

Written By : Adity SahaPublished On 3 Mar 2026 9:30 AM | Updated On 3 Mar 2026 1:39 PM

Kerala High Court 06.03.2025

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Monday admitted appeals filed by the doctors challenging a recent Single Bench ruling that permitted physiotherapists, along with medical practitioners, to use the prefix 'Dr'. Earlier, the Court had refused to step into the matter, saying that the decision on using the “Dr.” prefix should be taken by the government, not the Court. However, after hearing submissions that the matter can be argued on merits, the Court has now decided that the issue requires detailed examination.

Medical Dialogues had reported that a single bench previously dismissed pleas seeking a ban on Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapy Professionals to proclaim themselves as the first health care provider and use the 'Dr' prefix. 

Challenging that order, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Indian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (IAPMR) approached a Division Bench of the High Court. In their appeal, they sought directions that the professional services of physiotherapists and occupational therapy professionals should be confined to a supportive role within the medical profession.

When the matter came up on Monday (February 23), the Division Bench of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice P.V. Balakrishnan orally remarked that it is not up to the Court to make a decision as to whether medical professionals or physiotherapists can use the prefix 'Dr.' and that the same has to be decided by the government or the legislature.

The matter was adjourned at that stage to enable senior counsel appearing for the appellants to obtain instructions on whether to press the appeals in light of the court’s observations.

On February 2, the counsel informed the Bench that the appellants wished to proceed on the merits, raising all legal and regulatory grounds available to them.

Following this, the Division Bench comprising Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice P.V. Balakrishnan issued notice to the respondents after hearing preliminary submissions and decided that the matter warrants detailed consideration.

The case has been posted for further hearing on March 19.

As per IANS report, the March 19 hearing is expected to see detailed arguments on the scope of professional titles, regulatory authority, and the potential public interest implications arising from the use of the “Dr.” prefix across different streams of healthcare practice.

Background:

The issue arose when, earlier last year, the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) had recommended the use of 'Dr' prefix for physiotherapists.

In the Competency-Based Curriculum for Physiotherapy 2025, which was released on 23.04.2025, NCAHP suggested the title "Physiotherapist" with the prefix "Dr" and suffix "PT."

On September 9, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), under the Health Ministry, mentioned in a letter addressed to the IMA National President, Dr Dilip Bhanushali, that by using the 'Dr' prefix, physiotherapists will be in legal violation of the Indian Medical Degrees Act, 1916.

DGHS had issued the directive after receiving several representations and strong objections from various organisations, including the IAPMR, regarding the use of the prefix "Dr." and suffix "PT" by Physiotherapists in India.

However, only a day later, the DGHS announced its earlier letter as withdrawn. DGHS changed its decision after receiving representations in this regard requiring further examination.

Pleas before Kerala HC:

Pleas were filed before the Kerala High Court seeking an order to nullify, rather read down, the wide scope of the connotation "Physiotherapy Professional" as enlisted vide Sl. No. 3 as well as Serial No. 6- Occupational Therapy Professional of the Schedule appended to the National Commission for Allied and Health Care Professions Act, 2021 so as to make and confine the scope of discharge of such professional services of Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapy Professionals only as a supporting group for the qualified Medical Professionals under the provisions of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 and Indian Medical Degrees Act, 1916.

Further, the petitions prayed for quashing certain provisions in the Competency Based Curriculum for Occupational Therapy, to the extent to which they purported to place Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapy Professionals on a high pedestal as a First Health Care provider and in allowing them to use prefix 'Dr' in their names.

Another prayer was for a writ of mandamus or other appropriate order directing the authorities and their officers to issue necessary orders interdicting Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapy Professionals in proclaiming themselves as the First Health Care provider and in using the prefix 'Dr' in their names, and to ensure that their professional services should be confined only to a supporting group for the medical profession.

These pleas were filed by the Kerala State Branch of the Indian Medical Association, the Indian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (IAPMR), and several other medical professionals.

LATEST IN HEALTH RESEARCH

LATEST IN HEALTH RESEARCH

TIMES OF INDIA 04.03.2026

Weight loss drugs could be making your bones brittle Popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic may be bad for bone health, says a new study presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ annual meeting. The study found GLP-1 users had a 30% increased risk of osteoporosis and a 12% more risk of gout. Study lead and professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Dr John Horneff told NBC News that it’s mostly because people reduce their food intake after taking these drugs, which also makes them miss out on key nutrients, apart from the loss of bone mineral density that came with rapid weight loss. 

Too much red meat can double your diabetes risk A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition has found that consuming too much red meat, especially the processed kind, increases diabetes risk by 49%, according to Medical News Today. And switching to plant proteins (nuts and legumes) or healthier protein sources (dairy, poultry, fish and eggs) can reduce this risk by 9-14%. Red meat is high on saturated fat that can worsen insulin resistance, it said.

NMC warns against ‘fake’ patients in medical colleges

 

NMC warns against ‘fake’ patients in medical colleges

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI  03.02.2026

Medical colleges admitting “fake patients” can see their applications for new postgraduate courses or additional seats immediately rejected, the National Medical Commission (NMC) warned in a recent order.

The commission said some medical colleges admit people who do not require any treatment to fulfill the requirement of bed occupancy and investigations. It said “fake patient practice” will invite punishment if it is reported during an assessment.

The NMC approves additional medical college seats through a stringent, time-bound online process conducted by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB). Experts note that key aspects include adherence to the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, and Undergraduate Minimum Standard Requirements, with strict deadlines for submission.

The NMC said that detection of fake patients may result in barring the institution from starting new courses or from increasing intake in existing courses for a period specified by the MARB. It can affect the renewal of UG and existing PG courses.

The commission has laid down guidelines to identify fake patients. These include patients admitted on the day of, or just before, an assessment. Those who have minor ailments that can be treated on an outpatient basis, and those admitted without X-ray, blood reports or any in-patient treatment such as intravenous cannula, injections, and catheterisation will be treated as “fake” patients. Multiple patients from the same family being admitted, and patients admitted in large numbers through preventive health check-up camps are also “fake”. In paediatric wards, playful children admitted without any significant problem will be categorised as “fake”.

The NMC said the assessment will consider the faculty, infrastructure, clinical material/indicators, and quality of education of the college.

தமிழ்நாடு டாக்டா் எம்ஜிஆா் மருத்துவ பல்கலை. 38-ஆவது பட்டமளிப்பு விழா: ஆளுநா் ரவி பட்டங்களை வழங்கினாா்

தமிழ்நாடு டாக்டா் எம்ஜிஆா் மருத்துவ பல்கலை. 38-ஆவது பட்டமளிப்பு விழா: ஆளுநா் ரவி பட்டங்களை வழங்கினாா்

தமிழ்நாடு டாக்டா் எம்ஜிஆா் மருத்துவப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் 38-ஆவது பட்டமளிப்பு விழாவில் மருத்துவம், மருத்துவம் சாா்ந்த துணைப் படிப்புகளில் 50,159 போ் பட்டங்களைப் பெற்றனா்.

- SWAMINATHAN

Updated On :28 பிப்ரவரி 2026, 3:29 am

பகிர்:

தினமணி செய்திச் சேவை

தமிழ்நாடு டாக்டா் எம்ஜிஆா் மருத்துவப் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தின் 38-ஆவது பட்டமளிப்பு விழாவில் மருத்துவம், மருத்துவம் சாா்ந்த துணைப் படிப்புகளில் 50,159 போ் பட்டங்களைப் பெற்றனா்.

அதிக மதிப்பெண் பெற்ற மாணவா்களுக்கு ஆளுநா் ஆா்.என்.ரவி பட்டங்களை வழங்கினாா்.

சென்னை கிண்டியில் உள்ள தமிழ்நாடு டாக்டா் எம்.ஜி.ஆா். மருத்துவப் பல்கலை. வளாகத்தில் 38-ஆவது பட்டமளிப்பு விழா ஆளுநா் ஆா்.என். ரவி தலைமையில் வெள்ளிக்கிழமை நடைபெற்றது. இதில், மருத்துவத்தில், 12,016 பேரும், பல் மருத்துவத்தில் 2,569 பேரும், இந்தியமுறை மருத்துவத்தில், 3,269 பேரும், மருத்துவம் சாா்ந்த துணைப் படிப்புகளில் 32,305 போ் என 50,159 போ் பட்டங்களை பெற்றனா்.

குறிப்பாக, 144 போ் தங்கப் பதக்கமும், 42 போ் வெள்ளிப் பதக்கமும், 51 போ் அறக்கட்டளை சான்றிதழும், 166 போ் பல்கலை. சாா்பிலான பதக்கங்கள் என 353 போ் பெற்றனா். சென்னை கீழ்ப்பாக்கம் அரசு மருத்துவக் கல்லூரியில் எம்பிபிஎஸ் படித்த சுவேதா என்ற மாணவி, ஒன்பது பதக்கங்களைப் பெற்றாா். அதேபோல், முதுநிலை பட்டம் பெற்ற சுருதி, நிரஞ்சனா, ஆஷா ஆகியோா் தலா 6 பதக்கங்களைப் பெற்றனா். மாணவா்களுக்கான பட்டங்கள், பதக்கங்களை ஆளுநா் ஆா்.என்.ரவி வழங்கினாா்.

பட்டமளிப்பு விழாவில் பல்கலை. துணைவேந்தா் நாராயணசாமி பேசியதாவது: தமிழ்நாடு டாக்டா் எம்ஜிஆா் மருத்துவப் பல்கலையில். புதிய ஆராய்ச்சிகளுக்கு முக்கியத்துவம் அளிக்கப்படுகிறது. மாணவா்களின் ஆராய்ச்சியை ஊக்குவிக்கும் வகையில், சிறப்பாக செயலாற்றும் மாணவருக்கு ரூ.50 ஆயிரம் ஊக்கத்தொகை வழங்கப்படுகிறது. அத்துடன், 75 ஆராய்ச்சி கட்டுரைகள் வெளியிடப்பட்டு இருப்பதுடன், ஐந்துக்கு காப்புரிமை கோரப்பட்டுள்ளது.

மருத்துவ அறிவியலுடன், தொழில்நுட்ப கற்றலை ஊக்குவிக்கும் வகையில், அண்ணா பல்கலை, சென்னை ஐஐடி, வேலூா் தொழில்நுட்பக் கல்லுாரி நிறுவனத்துடன் இணைந்து பணியாற்றி வருகிறோம். குறிப்பாக, செயற்கை நுண்ணறிவு சாா்ந்த மருத்துவப் படிப்புகளும் ஊக்குவிக்கப்படுகிறது. கடந்தாண்டு பள்ளி மாணவா்களிடையே, புதுமை, ஆராய்ச்சி மற்றும் அறிவியல் சிந்தனையின் ஆரம்பகால ஆா்வத்தை வளா்ப்பதை நோக்கமாக கொண்டு விழிப்புணா்வு கருத்தரங்கம் நடத்தப்பட்டு, மாணவா்களிடையே வரவேற்பைப் பெற்றது என்றாா்.

அமைச்சா் பங்கேற்கவில்லை...: பட்டமளிப்பு விழாவில் காய்ச்சல் காரணமாக மருத்துவமனையில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள மக்கள் நல்வாழ்வு துறை அமைச்சா் மா.சுப்பிரமணியன், பங்கேற்க முடியாத நிலையில், அத்துறைச் செயலா் செந்தில்குமாருக்கு அழைப்பு விடுக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது. ஆனால், அவரும் விழாவில் பங்கேற்காமல் புறக்கணித்தாா்.

HC overturns order for third valuation of answer scripts

HC overturns order for third valuation of answer scripts 

MBBS STUDENTS 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 23.02.2026

Bengaluru : The high court set aside a single bench order that required a third valuation of answer scripts of certain MBBS students, providing relief to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Poonacha held that the ordinance or notification governing the central assessment programme (CAP) for theory paper assessment of all undergraduate health science courses of the university benefits students. CAP provides for two valuations and considers the higher marks awarded between the two. On July 30,2025, a single bench issued two directions. Firstly, the RGUHS syndicate and academic council were directed to reconsider the matter afresh, specifically with regard to providing essential key answers or model answers for descriptive questions, in order to prevent anomalies or ambiguities during initial evaluations.

 Secondly, RGUHS was told to forward the answer scripts of petitioners to an additional evaluator for fresh assessment, in light of the significant discrepancy between the marks awarded by the evaluators.

 RGUHS challenged the order. The division bench noted that National Medical Commission (NMC) seemed to have altered its stand and that subjective answers could not be evaluated on the basis of key phrases or terms used in the answers. RGUHS argued that answers to medical science questions were evaluated based on students’ understanding and knowledge. “In our view, it would not be appropriate for this court to examine how answers to questions in a particular subject are required to be evaluated. 

The university is at liberty to take an appropriate decision uninfluenced by the observations made in the impugned order,” the bench said. “We are unable to accept that referring the answer scripts to a third valuer would, in any manner, mitigate this element of subjectivity in the evaluation of answer scripts,” the division bench  observed.

 “If the third evaluator awards higher marks – that is, higher than the marks awarded by the two evaluators – the question would arise as to which of the marks is required to be accepted. There is no provision to declare the results on the basis of the highest marks awarded by three evaluators,” it observed while allowing the appeals filed by RGUHS.

DME launches portal for foreign medical graduates to check vacant internships

DME launches portal for foreign medical graduates to check vacant internships

Portal to also enable candidates to apply online directly and obtain their allotment orders; Health Minister distributes appointment orders to 668 nurses who served during COVID-19 pandemic

Health Minister Ma. Subramanian unveiling the portal launched by the Directorate of Medical Education during an event to distribute appointment orders to temporary nurses.SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Hindu Bureau

CHENNAI 22.02.2026

The Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Research on Saturday launched a web portal to enable Foreign Medical Graduates (FMG) to check vacant internship positions in government and private medical colleges in the State, apply online directly, and obtain their allotment orders.

Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said the portal was launched to do away with the difficulty of students having to search for vacant positions to take up their Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship (CRMI) training.

Shortly after launching the portal, the Minister said that foreign medical students were previously required to pay ₹3 lakh to the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University to undergo internship training at medical colleges in the State. They also had to visit a number of offices for applications and take up internship positions wherever there were vacancies. This fee was waived after this (DMK) government assumed office, and they were also granted a monthly stipend of ₹25,000 during their internship period.

Following this, the Tamil Nadu Medical Students Association - Foreign wing thanked the Minister for fulfilling their demand to make the internship application process online.

FMGs are required to undergo CRMI to obtain permanent registration in India. For this, they had to visit DME office in Chennai and submit the necessary documents within the specified dates. This caused difficulties for those coming from distant districts. So, they made a request to take this process online. They also welcomed the launch of the portal as the number of available vacancies will be published transparently.

Appointment orders

Earlier, Mr. Subramanian handed over appointment orders to 668 nurses, who had worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the last batch of nurses to be given appointment orders.

To ensure that none of the nurses who worked during COVID-19 were left out, they were granted special marks and appointed in 708 urban health and wellness centres, 50 primary health centres (PHC), and urban PHCs, he said.

A total of 2,814 persons were temporarily appointed during the pandemic. Of them, 2,146 had already received appointment orders through the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) on a contractual basis. There were issues in submitting documents for the remaining candidates, and they had requested contract appointments through MRB. They were called individually and their documents were verified. Appointment orders have now been issued to 668 persons.

The Minister said that the State government has been gradually granting permanent posts to those working on a temporary basis through MRB since 2014. “Between 2014 and 2021 — a period of seven years during the previous AIADMK regime, only 1,871 individuals were granted permanent appointments,” he said, adding that as promised in the DMK election manifesto, 5,825 contract nurses have received permanent job orders within five years of the present government.

NMC proposes mandatory corpus fund for med colleges

NMC proposes mandatory corpus fund for med colleges 

‘Will Reject Incomplete Applications’ 

Anuja.Jaiswal@timesofindia.com 22.02.2026

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 M K 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 govt, 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. 

The draft states that any attempt to pressurise MARB or the NMC through individuals or agencies could lead to immediate halt or rejection of the application. 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.

NEET aspirant argues his case in SC, secures MBBS admission

NEET aspirant argues his case in SC, secures MBBS admission 

Siddarth Pandey  17.02.2026

Jabalpur : “I didn’t argue emotionally — I simply placed the law as it is,” said Atharva Chaturvedi, a 19-year-old NEET aspirant about the moment he stood before the Supreme Court with the Constitution and past judgments to support his case. 

Atharva cleared NEET 2024 - 25 with 530 marks out of 720 as an Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidate. But he was left out of the admission process because a clear EWS reservation policy was absent in the private medical colleges of Madhya Pradesh.

He chose to fight the case himself without engaging a senior advocate. Atharva said he argued his own case before the MP high court and the Supreme Court and secured relief after he was denied MBBS admission under the EWS quota in MP’s private medical colleges. 

Before the high court, he cited the 103rd Constitutional Amendment and said Articles 15(6) and 16(6) mandated 10% EWS reservation in private, non-minority educational institutions. The court directed the state to complete the process of increasing seats and implementing EWS reservation in private medical colleges within a year. 

However, the policy remained unimplemented in the following admission cycle. Despite securing an EWS rank of 164 in NEET 2025-26, he again did not get admission and moved SC through an online petition. 

On Feb 10, as a bench headed by CJI Surya Kant was rising for the day, Atharva sought 10 minutes to present his case, and the bench agreed. Invoking its powers under Article 142, the SC observed that the petitioner was denied admission due to circumstances beyond his control and that state authorities failed to comply with earlier judicial directions. The court directed the National Medical Commission and the MP govt to ensure his admission to an MBBS course in a private medical college.

818 Medical Colleges in India, Maximum in UP, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu: Health Ministry tells Parliament Written By : Divyani PaulPublished On 15 Feb 2026 11:00 AM | Updated On 15 Feb 2026 11:00 AM New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed the Lok Sabha that India currently has a total of 818 medical colleges, including AIIMS and Institutes of National Importance (INIS) across India. The details were shared in response to an Unstarred Question on February 6, 2026. Replying to queries raised by Shri Jagannath Sarkar regarding districts without government medical colleges and plans for prioritising high-population districts, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shri Prataprao Jadhav said that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has reported a total of 818 medical colleges nationwide. Also Read: 18 AIIMS Functional, 4 Under Construction: Health Minister tells Parliament As per the list shared in this regard, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of medical colleges at 88 (51 government and 37 private), followed by Maharashtra with 85 (43 government and 42 private), and Tamil Nadu with 78 colleges (38 government, 40 private). Karnataka has 72 (24 government and 48 private), Telangana has 66 (37 government, 29 private), and Rajasthan has 49 (34 government, 15 private). However, several smaller States and UTs, such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Goa, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim have only one medical college each.

818 Medical Colleges in India, Maximum in UP, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu: Health Ministry tells Parliament

Written By : Divyani PaulPublished On 15 Feb 2026 11:00 AM | Updated On 15 Feb 2026 11:00 AM

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed the Lok Sabha that India currently has a total of 818 medical colleges, including AIIMS and Institutes of National Importance (INIS) across India.

The details were shared in response to an Unstarred Question on February 6, 2026.

Replying to queries raised by Shri Jagannath Sarkar regarding districts without government medical colleges and plans for prioritising high-population districts, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Shri Prataprao Jadhav said that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has reported a total of 818 medical colleges nationwide.

As per the list shared in this regard, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of medical colleges at 88 (51 government and 37 private), followed by Maharashtra with 85 (43 government and 42 private), and Tamil Nadu with 78 colleges (38 government, 40 private).

Karnataka has 72 (24 government and 48 private), Telangana has 66 (37 government, 29 private), and Rajasthan has 49 (34 government, 15 private).

However, several smaller States and UTs, such as Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Goa, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim have only one medical college each.

Student with 1/800 score in NEET-PG bags MS orthopaedics seat at pvt college in Hyderabad

Student with 1/800 score in NEET-PG bags MS orthopaedics seat at pvt college in Hyderabad

Ajay Tomar

Feb 12, 2026, 3:24 IST

Student with 1/800 score in NEET-PG bags MS orthopaedics seat at pvt college in Hyderabad Your TOI+ subscription ends in 25 days Subscribe Now! Renew Now

Hyderabad: The sharp reduction in the cut-off for national eligibility-cum-entrance test for postgraduate (NEET-PG) seats, announced recently, has left Telangana's medical fraternity worried. Especially after several PG medical seats — including high-risk clinical and surgical specialties — were filled by candidates with extremely low scores, during the third round of counselling released conducted by the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS). 

The list shows how many candidates with poor scores gained admission into premier institutions. 

In one case, for instance, a candidate with a score of 1 out of 800 — and an all-India rank of 2,29,981 — secured an MS orthopaedics seat at a prominent private medical college in Hyderabad. Similarly, PG seats in forensic medicine and pathology at a noted govt medical college in the city were allotted to candidates who scored 12 and 24 marks, respectively. 

In Jan this year, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), along with the central health ministry lowered qualifying percentiles — from 50th to seven for general category — to fill more than 18,000 vacant PG seats nationwide for the 2025–26 academic session. Candidates from OBC, SC, ST, and PwD categories with even negative scores are now deemed eligible for counselling. Following this revision, several candidates in Telangana have landed seats in institutions such as Osmania Medical College (OMC), Gandhi Medical College (GMC), and other reputed colleges, including in high-demand specialties such as orthopaedics, paediatrics, general medicine, and others. 

"Surgical branches such as orthopaedics, and paediatric surgery have always been among the most in-demand specialities. Filling these seats with candidates scoring as low as one mark reflects a system under severe strain," said Dr Ajay Kumar Goud, general secretary of the Telangana Junior Residents Doctors' Association (T-JUDA). "Allowing clinical and surgical branches to be filled at near-zero percentiles is a serious dilution of standards and directly risks patient safety," he added. ‘Will not fix system' Experts also pointed out how lowering percentiles will not fix the system if infrastructure and faculty shortages persist.

 "The issue points to deeper structural problems - rapid expansion of PG seats without proportional growth in trained faculty, overcrowded classrooms, and declining bedside training," said Dr Kiran Madhala, secretary-general of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA). The current policy also differs from the Centre's earlier stance. In July 2022, while opposing a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking reduction of NEET-PG cut-offs, the govt had argued that minimum qualifying standards were essential to maintain academic quality. The High Court had upheld that lowering standards in medical education could "wreak havoc on society." Doctors warned that the consequences may surface years later. 

"Training gaps today will reflect when these doctors practise independently. Critical specialties require quick, high-risk decision-making, and this trend may weaken emergency care services," added Dr Madhala. "While measures like conducting NEET twice a year may help reduce vacancies, they cannot replace merit-based selection. Any dilution of eligibility criteria compromises clinical excellence and public trust," said Dr Srinath Dubyala, president, Federation of All India Medical Association.