Health Bulletin 27/December/2025
Here are the top health stories for the day:
NMC Extends Relaxation on 150-Seat Cap for MBBS Courses in 2026-27
In a relaxation for medical institutes, the provision of an upper limit of 150 seats for the MBBS course per medical college has been kept in abeyance for another academic year by the National Medical Commission (NMC).
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that releasing the "Guidelines for Under Graduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses & Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023", which were published in the official Gazette on August 16, 2023, NMC had stated that the intake capacity for the new medical colleges being set up from the academic year 2024-2025 would be restricted to a maximum number of 150 MBBS seats.
NTA to Introduce Facial Recognition and Live Photo Verification for NEET from 2026
In a major move, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is planning to introduce facial recognition-based identity verification and mandatory live photograph capture for candidates appearing in national entrance examinations starting from 2026, including NEET.
This new system will be implemented in all major tests conducted by the NTA, including the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE-Main) and the National Eligibility and Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG). According to officials, it will be introduced starting with JEE (Main) in January 2026.
For more details, check out the full story on the link below:
NTA to roll out facial recognition, live photo verification for NEET from 2026: Report
Supreme Court Upholds WB Clinical Establishments Commission’s Power to Grant Compensation for Deficiency in Care
The Supreme Court of India recently held that the Commission established under the West Bengal Clinical Establishments Act, 2017, is entitled to adjudicate upon 'deficiency in patient care service' and grant compensation.
With this observation, the top court bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Manoj Misra rejected the argument that the issues of 'medical negligence' and 'deficiency in patient care service' are so inextricably intertwined that the Commission cannot adjudicate upon "deficiency in service", while only the State Medical Council can return a finding on 'negligence'.
For more details, check out the full story on the link below:
Bhopal Hospital’s Rs 33 Daily Meal Raises Concerns Over Food Quality
Concerns have been raised over the food budget allocated to patients at Bhopal’s Jai Prakash (JP) Hospital, where the cost of providing all three daily meals reportedly amounts to just Rs. 33 per patient, significantly less than the daily spending on cattle and prison inmates across the state.
Patients at the hospital received a modest lunch of potato-cauliflower curry, thin green dal, a small portion of rice, four chapatis, and two cucumber slices, served together on a thali. According to Hindustan Times, with breakfast and dinner included, the total expenditure per patient remains at Rs. 33, raising questions about the adequacy, nutritional value, and overall quality of meals being provided in a government-run healthcare setting. “We are providing food at a cost of Rs. 33 per day, which includes salaries of the staff,” said the canteen in-charge at the JP Hospital.
For more details, check out the full story on the link below:
Rs 33 for 3 meals a day: Bhopal hospital patients' food sparks concern over quality
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