Centre proposes tighter norms for approval of medical colleges

Setting up new medical colleges could become more challenging, with the Centre proposing a series of measures aimed at improving the quality and financial stability of medical education institutions.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed sweeping changes to the regulations governing the establishment of new medical colleges, the introduction of new medical courses, and increases in MBBS and postgraduate seats.

The draft amendments — Establishment of New Medical Institutions Assessment and Rating (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 — have been published in the Gazette of India, with stakeholders invited to submit comments within 30 days.

The proposed changes seek to make the approval process more rigorous by mandating completed infrastructure, stronger financial safeguards and stricter scrutiny of applications. They amend several provisions of the existing 2023 regulations.

Under the draft rules, no approval will be granted to institutions with incomplete infrastructure.

All mandatory infrastructure, including hospital and college buildings required to be part of a medical school, must be completed before an application is submitted. “Infrastructure and other statutory requirements as per the regulations shall be complete at the time of application. Temporary arrangement for the Hospital and college building shall not be permitted. A work-in-progress status of the applicant institute shall not be considered for further processing of the application,” the draft amendments state.

In another move, the draft regulations propose a new financial safeguard for each medical college.

It says, “The applicant/entity shall submit an undertaking at the time of submission of the application for earmarking a corpus fund dedicatedly applicable to the functioning of the new medical institution. Further, all Medical Colleges already running will also have to maintain a corpus fund dedicatedly applicable to the functioning of the medical college. The amount of such xorpus funds shall be determined by the Medical Assessment & Rating Board and shall be communicated through Notice. The amount of the corpus fund shall be subject to revision from time to time. The College will have to submit the documentary proof whenever directed by the MARB.”

The amendment, in a first, disincentivises exertion of pressure on NMC.

“Any attempt to pressurise MARB or NMC through individuals or agencies will lead to immediate halt of the processing or rejection of the application,” the amendments say.