Altogether 86,360 seats, 5000 more by 2028-29: Health Ministry gives state-wise PG medical seat breakup in Parliament

New Delhi: In a significant move to expand postgraduate medical education, the Central Government has approved the creation of 5,000 additional PG medical seats under Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme to strengthen existing government medical colleges, standalone PG institutes and government hospitals by the academic year 2028-29.

It will be implemented from 2025-26 to 2028-29, with an enhanced cost ceiling of Rs 1.50 crore per PG seat, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda informed the Parliament recently.

According to the Ministry, India currently has 86,360 PG medical seats across the country as per information shared by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS).

This was shared by Health Minister Nadda in a written reply to a starred question in the Lok Sabha on August 7, 2026, regarding the expansion of PG medical seats when a member of the parliament sought to know the total number of post-graduate medical seats in Central Government institutions, State Government colleges and deemed universities, the total number of Post-Graduate medical seats created by the Government since 2014 across the country.

He also asked if there is any proposal to increase the number of post-graduate medical seats keeping in view the increased demand for specialists and any proposal to convert all Diplomate of National Board (DNB) seats into full fledged post-graduate medical seats this year and if so, the details of the seats likely to be added to the PG medical course seat matrix in this regard; and the details of the steps taken by the Government to rein in profiteering and uncontrolled fee structure by private medical colleges and deemed universities offering post-graduate medical courses.

In response to the queries, MoS Health said, "As informed by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), there are a total of 86,360 Post-Graduate (PG) medical seats in the country."

He said that the National Medical Commission has put in place a regulatory framework under the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER), 2023 & Post Graduate Minimum Standards Requirement, 2024 for the establishment of new PG medical courses and increase of seats in existing courses. Proposals received from medical colleges/institutions for starting new PG courses or increasing the number of PG seats are considered by the NMC on the basis of application submitted by the medical colleges/ institutions and seats are granted subject to fulfilment of the prescribed requirements relating to faculty, infrastructure, clinical material, etc.

Further, NBEMS has also taken several initiatives to increase the availability of PG medical seats in the country. These include easing of accreditation criteria without compromising the quality of teaching and training, introduction of new Post-Graduate courses, implementation of the Joint Accreditation Scheme, encouraging District Hospitals to seek accreditation for NBEMS Post-Graduate courses, and undertaking outreach initiatives with State Governments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and other stakeholders to facilitate the commencement of NBEMS courses in hospitals under their administrative control, the Minister added.

Regarding the creation of PG seats, Nadda said, "The Government has approved Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for strengthening and upgradation of existing State Government/ Central Government Medical Colleges/ Standalone PG Institutes/ Government Hospitals for increasing 5,000 PG seats with an enhanced cost ceiling of ₹1.50 crore per seat from financial year 2025-26 to 2028-29."

State-wise PG medical seats

Among the states and Union Territories, Karnataka has the highest number of PG medical seats at 10,092, including 2,805 government and 7,287 private seats. Maharashtra follows with 9,216 seats, comprising 4,277 government and 4,939 private seats.

Tamil Nadu has 8,023 PG seats, including 3,030 government and 4,993 private seats, while Uttar Pradesh has 7,437 seats, with 3,568 government and 3,869 private seats.

Telangana has 5,248 PG seats, followed by Rajasthan with 5,025 seats. Andhra Pradesh has 4,782 seats, while Delhi has 4,729 seats, including 3,448 government and 1,281 private seats.

Gujarat has 4,450 PG seats, followed by Kerala with 3,679 seats and Madhya Pradesh with 3,497 seats. West Bengal has 3,485 PG seats, comprising 2,283 government and 1,202 private seats.

State/UT-wise details of PG seats for AY 2026-27

No proposal to convert all diploma seats into DNB seats

The Centre also clarified that there is no proposal under consideration to convert all Diploma seats into full-fledged PG medical degree seats, including DNB seats, this year.

"As informed by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), there is no proposal under its consideration to convert all Diploma seats into full-fledged PG medical degree (DNB) seats," Nadda said.

He also said that the fixation of fees for medical courses, including Post-Graduate courses, falls within the domain of respective State/UT Governments and differs from state to state. Further, with a view to making medical education more affordable, NMC has framed Guidelines under clause (i) of Sub-Section (1) of Section 10 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 for determination of fees and all other charges in respect of 50% of seats in private medical institutions and deemed to be universities, which were issued on 03.02.2022. However, the above-mentioned guidelines have been challenged in various courts and are sub-judice.

As informed by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), the fees for NBEMS courses, namely Diplomate of National Board (DNB), Doctorate of National Board (DrNB), Fellowship of National Board (FNB) and Diploma courses, are centrally regulated, uniform and affordable across the country. The annual course fee for these programmes is Rs 1,25,000.

Also read- 86,360 PG medical seats in India, no plan to convert Diploma seats into DNB: Health Minister tells Parliament