Health Bulletin 23/February/2026
Here are the top health stories for the day:
48,563 MBBS Seats Added in Six Years, Minister Informs Parliament
The central government has informed the parliament that 48,563 new MBBS seats have been added across medical colleges in the country over the last six academic years.
Responding to queries in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said that, as per data from the National Medical Commission (NMC), the increase of 48,563 MBBS seats has taken place from the Academic Year 2020–21 to 2025–26.
For more details, check out the full story on the link below:
48,563 MBBS seats added in last 6 years: MoS Health tells Parliament
NMC Grants Approval for 540 DM, MCh Seats in 89 Medical Colleges
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has granted an additional 540 seats to 89 medical colleges across the country after considering applications for new and increased PG Super-Specialty courses for the academic year 2025-26.
Speciality-wise, the highest number of approvals was seen in DM Cardiology with 64 seats, followed by M.Ch Urology with 48 seats, M.Ch Surgical Oncology with 40 seats, and M.Ch Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery with 39 seats.
For more details, check out the full story on the link below:
NMC approves 540 DM, MCh seats across 89 medical colleges, Details
AI Can Transform Healthcare in Specialist-Scarce Regions: Soumya Swaminathan
Former Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Soumya Swaminathan, on Friday highlighted that artificial intelligence could have a significant positive impact on healthcare, particularly in regions where specialist doctors are scarce.
She noted that in many parts of India and in regions such as Africa, there is a shortage of radiologists, psychiatrists and pathologists. Swaminathan said one of the simplest and most effective uses of AI is image and pattern recognition, which can help in reading X-rays and pathology slides, provided the algorithms are trained on high-quality datasets.
For more details, check out the full story on the link below:
AI can revolutionise healthcare where specialists are lacking, says Soumya Swaminathan
Autonomous Institutes Separate; Spousal Transfers Not Allowed, Says Government
Doctors, nurses and faculty working in premier government health institutions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh, and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) cannot seek inter-institutiaonal transfers on spouse grounds, as there is currently no provision allowing transfers between autonomous bodies.
The information was provided during a recent Lok Sabha session in response to an unstarred question raised by MP Dharamvira Gandhi. The MP sought details regarding:
For more details, check out the full story on the link below:
Autonomous Institutes are separate, no spousal transfer allowed between them: MoS Health
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