National ranking system for PG medical colleges soon, 15,000 seats being added annually: NMC Chairman Dr Gangadhar
NMC working on national ranking system for PG medical colleges, aiming to publish top 10 and top 20 lists, dedicated website under development- Dr Gangadhar;
National Medical Commission (NMC)
Hyderabad: The National Medical Commission (NMC) is working on several major changes to make medical education in India more accessible, transparent, and student-friendly, said Dr B N Gangadhar, Chairman of NMC, during his recent visit to Osmania Medical College.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Gangadhar said that the Commission has been focusing on improving quality, increasing the number of seats, introducing new courses, and making colleges more accountable.
Earlier, medical colleges needed a hospital with at least 300 beds to get approval. But now, the requirement has been reduced to 220 beds, allowing more institutions to start with 50 MBBS seats if they meet quality standards, said Dr Gangadhar, adding that at least 15,000 medical seats are being added annually across the country.
Also read- NMC implements Face-Based Aadhaar Attendance in Medical Colleges
Considering evolving healthcare needs, medical colleges have sent proposals for around 60 new courses this year. On this, Dr Gangadhar said, "Expert committees are reviewing these proposals, and necessary courses will be introduced from next year. A new policy will allow government medical colleges to offer postgraduate (PG) courses even without undergraduate (UG) batches, a move that could soon be extended to private institutions."
During the interview with ETV Bharat, Dr Gangadhar said that while new colleges can start operations with only 40% of the required infrastructure, they must complete all facilities by the time their first batch of students graduates.
"Permissions for new colleges have been eased, and the NMC is insisting on improving facilities over time. Even if a college starts with 40% of the infrastructure, it must be fully equipped by the time the first batch graduates in five years,” Dr Gangadhar added.
The Commission is encouraging institutions to offer Post-Doctoral Certificate Courses and Fellowships. Special emphasis is being placed on superspecialty training in areas such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases to tackle the rise in non-communicable diseases.
Moreover, Dr Gangadhar said, "The NMC has been working on a national ranking system for PG medical colleges, aiming to publish top 10 and top 20 lists. A dedicated website is under development for this purpose."
On the recent Supreme Court direction to hold NEET PG in a single shift for fairness, Dr Gangadhar said the matter is being looked into. He said that there are logistical challenges involved, considering the large number of candidates.
“We will take a decision on this soon. NMC remains committed to ensuring both expansion and excellence in India’s medical education landscape," he added further.
Addressing concerns about missing faculty members and irregular attendance, the NMC is rolling out a facial recognition attendance system linked with Aadhaar. “Faculty must have 75% attendance on working days. This will bring greater accountability and transparency,” he said.
Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has announced that all medical colleges and institutions will transition to a face-based Aadhaar authentication system via the NMC AEBAS platform from May 1, 2025. At present, all private/ government medical colleges in the country are marking attendance of faculty and staff through the AEBAS (Aadhar Enabled Biometric Attendance System) system.
The new system, replacing the current fingerprint-based biometric authentication, aims to improve user-friendliness and enhance accuracy in attendance marking. FACE-based Aadhaar Authentication, already deployed in other government offices through NIC, will now be implemented across medical institutions using a mobile app-based interface.
Also read- NEET PG 2025 on August 3- NBE seeks Supreme Court's approval
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