The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a fresh notification announcing changes in minimum standards of requirements for postgraduate courses, 2023. The latest rules have come into effect immediately and all medical colleges must follow them.The notice was issued by the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB), which functions under the NMC and is responsible for framing rules for postgraduate medical education in India.
What is this notice about?
This notice updates the current Postgraduate Minimum Standards Requirements (PGMSR) 2023. These standards specify what medical colleges must meet to start and run postgraduate medical courses.It includes rules related to infrastructure, faculty, hospital facilities, equipment and patient load. The standards were first issued in January 2024 and were updated in August 2024 and January 2025. Now another amendment has been issued in February 2026.
Important message from NMC
All medical colleges and institutes offering postgraduate medical courses should follow the updated rules henceforth. There is no transition period. Changes take effect immediately.
What has changed: Simply explained
1. Basic hospital and infrastructure requirementsMedical colleges should have adequate hospital buildings and facilities as per government rules. This includes outpatient departments, inpatient wards, operation theatres, intensive care units (ICU), laboratories and emergency services.All required approvals from the authorities should be in place in advance.2. Equipment and learning facilitiesDepartments should have modern equipment and adequate training facilities. Colleges should also provide digital libraries, seminar halls and internet access.Teaching rooms with audio visual facilities are now mandatory for every department.3. Patient load requirementsHospitals must have enough patients for proper training.
- At least 80 percent of hospital beds must be occupied year-round.
- Departments should have sufficient ICU and High Dependency Unit (HDU) beds
- Patient records should be maintained digitally.
4. Faculty RulesAll faculty members must work full-time and may not engage in private practice during work hours.They should have at least 75% attendance in a year.5. New monitoring measures
- CCTV cameras should be installed in medical colleges.
- Attendance of staff should be digitally recorded through Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS).
- Colleges should maintain proper patient data and hospital records.
6. Mandatory College Website DetailsEvery medical college should have a website and update it regularly.The website should include the list of departments, number of PG courses and seats, faculty details for last three years, student admission details, patient attendance and bed occupancy, number of surgeries.7. Bed and department requirementsA standalone postgraduate institute should have at least 220 beds and some essential departments like:
- Biochemistry
- Pathology
- Microbiology
- Radio diagnosis
- Anesthesiology
8. New Digital Health IntegrationColleges should link their systems with Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) and create ABHA IDs for patients.9. Limitation of PG seatsIn non-government medical colleges, a maximum of four seats per year will be allowed for starting a new post-graduate course or increasing intake.10. Workload requirements for trainingThe notice also lays down clear rules for clinical workload.For example minimum number of patients per day, minimum number of surgeries per week, required number of x-rays, CT scans and other tests, specific work targets for areas such as pathology, microbiology and radiology.They ensure that the students get enough practical exposure during the training.11. Faculty to student ratioThe number of teachers required depends on the number of students.For example:
- Professor can guide 2 to 3 students.
- Associate Professor can guide 2 students.
- Assistant professor can guide 1 student.
12. Limitations on Units and BedsEach department can have a maximum of six units and each unit can have 40 beds.Read the official notice HereThe new rules focus on improving the quality of postgraduate medical education by ensuring better infrastructure, sufficient patients for training, strict supervision and availability of adequate faculty.Medical colleges across India are now urgently required to adhere to these latest standards.
