How will medical faculty regulations 2025 improve teacher availability without comprising academic standards? Health Minister explains in Parliament

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda recently specified in the Lok Sabha how the new Medical Faculty Regulations, which were implemented last year, will ensure availability of an adequate number of faculty in the medical colleges, especially in rural areas, while ensuring that the academic standards do not get compromised.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the National Medical Commission had released the final Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025 in the official Gazette on June 30, 2025. The major takeaways from these regulations were the appointment of non-medical faculty, appointment of Diploma and DNB degree holders as faculty, modified bed strength for a teaching institute, appointment of non-teaching consultants as Professors, Associate or Assistant Professors, exemption from BCMET requirement, etc.

Lok Sabha member Shri Dushyant Singh asked the minister how the reforms introduced under the Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025, including the expansion of faculty eligibility norms and the rationalisation of teaching hospital requirements, are expected to strengthen faculty availability while maintaining academic standards, particularly in semi-urban and rural regions.

In response, the minister answered that the National Medical Commission (NMC) notified the Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025 (MIQF-2025), to ensure an adequate supply of qualified medical faculty while maintaining uniform academic standards across the country.

Also Read: NMC releases Medical Faculty regulations- 6 KEY TAKEAWAYS

The Health Minister stated that the major reforms under these regulations include:

(i) Rationalisation and broadening of faculty eligibility criteria without compromising educational quality.

(ii) Recognition of diverse academic pathways and experience for appointment and promotion of faculty in accordance with prescribed qualifications and experiencе.

(iii) Designation of eligible non-teaching Government hospitals with 220 or more beds as teaching institutions, enabling existing specialists to join the medical education system, subject to the prescribed qualifications and faculty development requirements.

(iv) Extension of eligibility of M.Sc.-Ph.D. qualified faculty to the Departments of Microbiology and Pharmacology, in addition to Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry .

(v) Recognition of research publications, Basic Course in Biomedical faculty Research (BCBR), and other mandatory development programmes as eligibility requirements for career progression.

(vi) Expansion of feeder broad specialties for super- specialty programmes to improve faculty utilization and multidisciplinary academic development.

"These reforms improve faculty availability. particularly in newly established, semi -urban, and rural medical colleges, while ensuring that the prescribed qualifications, teaching experience, research output, and faculty development requirements continue to uphold academic quality and competency-based medical education standards," the minister added.

Another query was about the Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) Curriculum Guidelines, 2024, especially the steps taken under these regulations to strengthen training in medical ethics, professional conduct, medico-legal awareness and related legal aspects for MBBS students.

MP Singh also questioned the minister about the measures being taken by the Government to ensure that the recent expansion in medical seats leads to improved availability of doctors and specialists in rural and underserved areas, including district and community hospitals in the country.

Responding to these queries, Minister Nadda stated that under the CBME curriculum, the NMC has strengthened phase-wise training and allocated dedicated time for professional development through the Attitude, Ethics, and Communication (AETCOM) course.

"The MBBS program has a duration of four and a half years and additionally the students are required to undergo 12 months of internship. Throughout this period, students are trained in the principles of AЕТСОМ beginning from their first year of entry into medical college and continuing as a longitudinal component of the curriculum across all phases of study. The subject of Forensic Medicine also trains the students on various objects of medical jurisprudence," he said.

The health minister also specified the measures undertaken by the Government to strengthen the healthcare network and medical education capacity, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Those measures include:

i. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district/ referral hospital with preference to underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing Government or private medical college, 157 new medical colleges were approved, of which 139 are currently operational in the country. The fund sharing mechanism under the scheme between the Centre and State Government is in the ratio of 90:10 for North Eastern and Special Category, and 60:40 for others.

ii. Under the CSS for strengthening/ upgradation of existing State Government/ Central Government medical colleges to increase the number of MBBS UG and PG seats support has been provided for increase of 4977 MBBS seats in 83 colleges with an approved cost of Rs. 5972.20 Crore; 4058 PG seats in phase-I in 72 colleges with an approved cost of Rs. 1498.43 Crore; and 4000 PG seats in phase-II in 65 colleges with an approved cost of Rs. 4478.25 Crore.

iii. Also, the Union Cabinet in September, 2025 approved Phase-III of (CSS) for “Strengthening and upgradation of existing State Government/Central Government Medical Colleges/Standalone PG Institutes/Government Hospitals” to facilitate increase of 5000 PG seats with an enhanced cost ceiling of Rs. 1.5 Crore per seats and extension of existing CSS for UG Scheme for 5023 MBBS seats with an enhanced cost of Rs. 1.5 Crore per seat. The timeline for implementation of both the Scheme is 2028-2029.

iv. Under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), establishment of 22 All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has been approved of which 18 are currently operational in various States/UTs in the country till date.

Further, the Minister referred to the various measures taken by the Government to improve rural healthcare delivery and availability of doctors in the country.  They include: -

i. The Family Adoption Programme (FAP) has been incorporated into the MBBS curriculum to provide equitable healthcare access to rural population. FAP involves medical colleges adopting villages, and MBBS students adopting families within these villages. This enables regular follow-up of adopted families for vaccination, growth monitoring, menstrual hygiene, Iron-Folic Acid supplementation, healthy lifestyle practices, nutrition, vector control, and medication adherence. It also helps in educating families about ongoing government health programmes.

ii. Under District Residency Program of National Medical Commission (NMC), second/third year PG students of medical colleges are posted in district hospitals.

iii. Hard area allowance is provided to specialist doctors for serving in rural and remote areas and for their residential quarters.

iv. Under the National Health Mission, states are allowed to offer negotiable salary to attract specialist including flexibility in strategies such as “You Quote We Pay”.

v. Honorarium to Gynaecologists/Emergency Obstetric Care (EmoC) trained, Paediatricians & Anaesthetist/Life Saving Anaesthesia Skills (LSAS) trained doctors is provided to increase availability of specialists for conducting Caesarean Sections in rural & remote area.

vi. Specialincentivesfordoctorsandincentive forAuxiliaryNurseMidwife (ANM)for ensuring timely checkup and recording for antenatal care and adolescent reproductive and sexual health.

vii. Non-Monetary incentives such as preferential admission in postgraduate courses for staff serving in difficult areas and improving accommodation arrangement in rural areas have also been introduced under NHM.

viii. Multi-skilling of doctors is supported under NHM to overcome the shortage of specialists. Skill upgradation of existing HR is another major strategy under NHM for achieving improvement in health outcomes

Also Read: NMC reintroduces MBBS CBME curriculum, removes controversial clauses