The Union government has approved the addition of 10,023 medical seats in government colleges under Centrally Sponsored Schemes for the period from FY 2025–26 to 2028–29, aiming to further strengthen the country’s medical education infrastructure.

According to data from the National Medical Commission (NMC), MBBS seats increased by 48,563 between the academic years 2020–21 and 2025–26, while postgraduate medical seats rose by 29,080 during the same period, significantly expanding opportunities for aspiring medical students.

Year-wise additions during this period stood at 4,983 seats in 2020–21, 4,705 in 2021–22, 2,874 in 2022–23, 4,713 in 2023–24, 4,186 in 2024–25, and 7,619 seats in 2025–26.

As the apex regulator for medical education, the NMC has also introduced several regulatory frameworks to ensure quality and uniformity in training. 

These include the Minimum Standards Requirement (MSR), the Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER) 2023, the Maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations (MSMER) 2023, and the Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) Curriculum Guidelines 2024.

These measures are intended to ensure that medical colleges across the country maintain robust standards in teaching, infrastructure, and clinical training.

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel shared these details in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on December 16, 2025. 

The expansion of medical seats under government schemes is expected to improve access to medical education and help address India’s growing demand for healthcare professionals.