NMC specifies clinical material, investigation workload for PG medical courses, check guidelines

New Delhi: Through a recently released amended Minimum Standards of Requirements for Post Graduate Courses 2023 (PGMSR-2023), the National Medical Commission (NMC) has notified requirements regarding clinical workload, diagnostic facilities and departmental functioning for medical colleges running postgraduate courses.

According to the document detailing quantification of clinical material, investigation workload for PG courses in specialities, medical colleges or institutions to start PG courses must have a proper average daily Out-Patient attendance of at least 60 in certain departments. These departments include General Medicine; General Surgery; Paediatrics; Orthopaedics; Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Respiratory Medicine; Otorhinolaryngology; Ophthalmology; Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy; Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine. These departments are expected to have at least 12 additional patients per day for every additional postgraduate seat. 

Average daily Out-Patient attendance in other clinical broad specialties and super specialties shall be at least 30. These departments are expected to have at least 6 additional patients per day for every additional postgraduate seat. 

The average bed occupancy for any department shall be at least 80 % throughout the year.  

The guidelines also specify operative workload requirements for surgical specialties for starting a PG course. It mentioned that surgical post-graduate students should get Operation theatre training for at least two full days a week and trainees from second year onwards will get training as First Assistant/Supervised performance for two full days a week.

Accordingly, every faculty shall preferably get two full days of Operation Table independently and the decision of the Unit Chief should be followed.

The document further clarifies that every Unit shall have a minimum of two operation days in a week and at least three Operation Tables for full day on an operation day.

Every unit shall perform a minimum of three major and six minor surgeries on the operation day of the Unit. Institutes will maintain the list. However, very short-duration procedures or surgeries should not be included in the list.

As per the amended guidelines, the number of postgraduate seats in the Anaesthesia department will depend on the department’s workload, the number of surgeries performed daily in the hospital and the number of operating theatres that are fully working.

The guidelines state that two PG seats can be permitted for each operation table that works for the full day on all working days, provided other required criteria are fulfilled. The number of General Anaesthesia and Regional Anaesthesia taken together should correlate with the number of surgeries.

For departments dealing with obstetrics services, the hospital must conduct at least 25 deliveries per week for two seats and at least five additional deliveries per week to be added for every additional PG seat. 

The NMC has also set minimum diagnostic workload requirements for medical colleges to start a PG course and to get additional PG seats. These include:

(i) X-rays: At least 60 per day (At least 12 additional plain X-rays per day for every additional PG seat)

(ii) Ultrasound: At least 30 per day (At least 6 additional ultrasounds per day for every additional PG seat)

(iii) In-house CT scan: At least 10 per day (At least 2 additional in-house CT scans per day for every additional PG seat)

(iv) Special Investigations: At least 3 per day (At least 1 additional special investigation per day for every additional PG seat)

The amended PGMSR 2023 document further added that an MRI facility is mandatory for starting PG courses in Radio-diagnosis and super specialties with daily workload of at least 3 MRI scans per day and at least 1 additional MRI scan per day for every additional PG seat.

The document also prescribes a minimum laboratory workload for starting a PG course. 

For the Histopathology workload, the total number of Histopathology investigations should be at least 20% of the major surgeries performed in the department. The PG seats should be increased proportionately with the surgical load. 

Regarding Cytopathology, the total number of Cytopathology investigations should be atleast 1 % of the total daily OPD load of the hospital. The PG seats should be increased proportionately with the OPD load.

For Haematology and Biochemistry, the same would be followed with 15 % of the total daily OPD load of the hospital. The PG seats should be increased proportionately with the OPD load.

In regard to Microbiology, the same would be followed with 5 % of the total daily OPD load of the hospital. The PG seats should be increased proportionately with the OPD load.

The document further clarifies that while calculating laboratory and diagnostic investigations, fractions of routine and standard laboratory tests will not be counted as separate investigations.

These conditions have been specified by the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) of the Commission in the recently released revised Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMSR) 2023. The Commission asked all medical colleges and institutions across the country to comply with the updated rules with immediate effect.

Issuing a public notice on 11.03.2026, the PGMEB informed that the standards for running postgraduate medical courses have now been amended as of February 20, 2026. These norms define the minimum requirements that institutions must meet to start and run PG medical programmes in the country.

To view the PGMSR 2023, click in the link below: 

Also read- What is the faculty-student ratio for PG medical, SS courses? NMC specifies in PG MSR amendment