The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved an additional 171 postgraduate (PG) medical seats after medical colleges appealed against earlier decisions of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB).
Appeal Committee Grants Fresh Approvals
Out of the total, 171 PG seats have been sanctioned by the First Appeal Committee following scrutiny of appeals filed under Section 28(5) of the NMC Act, 2019. These seats will be added to the PG seat matrix for the academic year 2025–26.
Wide Range of MD and MS Specialties Covered
The newly approved seats span multiple disciplines. Major additions include MD General Medicine (30 seats), MD Radio-Diagnosis (30), MD Anaesthesiology (24), MS General Surgery (17), MD Paediatrics (17), and MS Obstetrics and Gynaecology (14), strengthening core clinical departments.
Other Clinical and Non-Clinical Seats Added
Additional seats have also been granted in MD Dermatology, Venerology and Leprosy (8), MD Emergency Medicine (3), MD Psychiatry (1), MD Respiratory Medicine (2), MD Sports Medicine (1), MS Orthopaedics (4), MS Ophthalmology (3), and several non-clinical subjects such as Anatomy, Community Medicine, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Physiology and Pathology.
Benefit to 27 Medical Colleges
With the Appeal Committee’s decision, a total of 27 medical colleges across the country will see an increase in their PG intake capacity, improving opportunities for medical graduates seeking specialization.
MARB Issues Official Notice
In a notice dated December 31, 2025, Director of PG MARB Sukh Lal Meena stated that the list of seats granted by the First Appeal Committee has been uploaded for the information of all stakeholders and will be treated as a valid document.
Counselling to Proceed Without Waiting for LOPs
The notice clarified that counselling authorities need not wait for formal Letters of Permission (LOPs) from institutions. The uploaded list itself will be sufficient to include these seats in the counselling process for AY 2025–26, with LOPs to be issued shortly.
NMC Directs Institutes to Take Action
The NMC Secretary, in a communication to heads of all medical institutions, reiterated that the Appeal Committee–approved seats are valid for counselling and urged all concerned authorities to take necessary action to ensure timely implementation of the decision.
