NMC announces relaxations to widen faculty pool for adding 75,000 medical seats in 5 years, details

New Delhi: To fulfill the Central Government's vision of adding 75,000 medical seats in India in the next five years, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has announced several relaxations regarding the recruitment of faculty in medical colleges in the recently released Medical College Faculty Regulations.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that NMC had published the "Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025" in the official Gazette on June 30, 2025. These regulations laid down the eligibility qualifications for medical teachers at medical institutes.

In a recent press release, NMC mentioned that these regulations were notified to expand medical education capacity and strengthen faculty availability. 

"In a landmark move to address the growing demand for healthcare professionals and enhance the quality of medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has notified the Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025. These regulations, brought in by the Post Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) under NMC, are designed to widen the pool of eligible faculty and facilitate the expansion of undergraduate (MBBS) and postgraduate (MD/MS) seats in medical colleges across India," NMC mentioned in a release.

Highlighting how India's healthcare system is transforming and referring to the Central Government's announcement regarding a vision to add 75,000 new medical colleges over the next five years.

However, noting that "a critical bottleneck" has been the "availability of qualified faculty required to initiate or expand medical programs", the Commission highlighted how these new regulations will serve as a major step towards unlocking the existing human resource potential within government health systems and optimizing medical education infrastructure.

NMC has announced the following reforms to widen the faculty pool available in medical colleges:

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(1) Adding Faculty from Government Hospitals:

In the new regulations, NMC has announced that non-teaching government hospitals having more than 220 beds can now be designated as teaching hospitals. The Commission announced that existing specialists with 10 years of experience can be appointed as Associate Professors, and those with 2 years of experience can be appointed as Assistant Professors- without the mandatory Senior Residency— provided they complete the Basic Course in Biomedical Research (BCBR) within two years.

(2) Recognition of Experience Expanded:

√ Under the new regulations, senior consultants with three years of teaching experience in NBEMS-recognized government medical institutes will be eligible to appointed as Professors.

√ NMC has also announced that Diploma holders working as Specialist or Medical Officer in respective departments of a Government medical institute or Government medical institute running National Board of Examination and Medical Science recognized teaching programme, having cumulative experience of six years, shall be eligible for the post of Assistant Professor.

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√ Under the new rules, a cumulative period of up to five years served by a faculty member in the NMC or a University or State Medical Council or medical education department or medical research related Government organization, shall be deemed as teaching experience.

√ The Commission has now allowed new government medical colleges to start UG and PG courses simultaneously as it will expedite the production of healthcare professionals and teaching faculty.

√ While earlier, three faculty and a senior resident were required to start PG courses, now PG courses can be started with two faculty members and two seats. Bed requirements per unit have also been rationalized for several specialties.

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√ NMC has allowed more feeder broad specialties for various super specialty programs, enabling better utilization of existing faculty across departments. 

√ NMC has relaxed the norms for appointing non-medical faculty in medical colleges in these new regulations. The Commission has specified that non-MBBS holders can teach in Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, Pharmacology, and Microbiology Departments in medical colleges if they possess a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy Degree in the respective fields of Medical Anatomy, Medical Biochemistry, Medical Physiology, Medical Pharmacology, and Medical Microbiology.

Earlier, the Commission had limited Medical MSc and PhD holders for appointment in the Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry departments only.

√ The Commission has also increased the upper age limit for appointment as Senior Residents to 50 years in pre-clinical and para-clinical subjects such as Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine, and Community Medicine.

Also Read: NMC allows senior residency upto Age 50 in 8 depts, details

√ Granting equivalence for Tutor/Demonstrator Experience, NMC has announced that experience gained as Tutors or Demonstrators by candidates with postgraduate qualifications shall be considered valid for eligibility as Assistant Professor.

√ NMC has also announced that faculty with super specialty qualifications currently working in broad specialty departments can be formally designated as faculty in their corresponding super specialty departments.

"These forward-looking regulations mark a paradigm shift in how faculty eligibility is determined—shifting the focus from rigid service norms to competency, teaching experience, and academic merit. By unlocking the untapped potential within the existing government healthcare workforce, this reform will accelerate the expansion of medical education, particularly in underserved areas," NMC mentioned in the release.

"The Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025 will directly support the national goal of expanding access to quality medical education, strengthening institutional capacity, and producing a robust pipeline of healthcare professionals to serve India's growing needs," it added.

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