Medical Schools will Admit More Students for a Year from Now

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has postponed its decision to limit the number of MBBS seats in medical schools to 100 per 10 lakh population for a year due to protests from southern states. The decision was taken after the Union Health Ministry on November 1 asked the medical education regulator to re-examine the provisions of the ratio of 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh population in states.

What are the key concerns raised by southern states regarding the NMC's decision to cap MBBS seats in Medical Schools at 100 per 10 lakh population?

"It is informed that a decision has been taken by the Undergraduate Medical Education Board, National Medical Commission that the 'objective' clause under Chapter-1 of 'Guidelines for Under Graduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses and Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023" (notified by UGMEB on August 16, 2023) shall be implemented from academic year 2025-26," the Commission said. The NMC had in August stated that "After 2023-24 (from the 2024-25 academic year), letter of permission for starting of new medical colleges would be issued only for annual intake capacity of 50/100/150 seats (new medical colleges will only have 50-150 seats) provided that medical colleges shall follow the ratio of 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh population in that state/Union Territory."

Explore All about National Medical Commission: Details, Facts, Info

The August 16 notification was opposed by states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Puducherry, which have a large number of medical colleges. In a letter to the NMC, the Tamil Nadu government had said that the decision would "adversely affect" the state's medical education system and "deprive" students from pursuing a medical career. The Karnataka government had also written to the NMC, expressing its concern over the decision. The state government had said that the decision would "hit hard" the state's medical education sector. The Puducherry government had also written to the NMC, requesting it to reconsider the decision.

The Union Territory government had said that the decision would have a "negative impact" on the state's medical education system. The NMC's decision to postpone the implementation of the decision to limit the number of MBBS seats in medical schools to 100 per 10 lakh population is a welcome move. The decision will allow the southern states to continue to produce a large number of medical graduates, which will meet the needs of the growing population. The NMC should also consider the concerns of the southern states and review the provisions of the ratio of 100 MBBS seats per 10 lakh population in states. The NMC should also consider the needs of the students and ensure that they have access to quality medical education.(News Source)