The National Medical Commission (NMC) informed Parliament that MBBS and postgraduate medical seats increased between academic years (AY) 2023–24 and 2025–26. The government also used Indian Medical Register (IMR) figures to estimate national doctor availability, applying an 80% availability assumption for registered practitioners in both allopathic and AYUSH systems.

What happened (seat expansion and workforce estimate)

MBBS seats increased from 1,09,115 in AY 2023–24 to 1,28,976 in AY 2025–26. Postgraduate (PG) seats increased from 31,185 in AY 2023–24 to 86,360 in AY 2025–26. Using IMR registered-practitioner totals and an 80% availability assumption, the government estimated a country doctor–population ratio of 1:778.

Background and earlier position

The NMC and IMR are the key administrative pillars used for medical education capacity (NMC) and registered practitioner counts across systems of medicine (IMR). The parliamentary update provides a time-bound change in seats (AY 2023–24 to AY 2025–26) and a workforce availability estimate derived from registered numbers.

What changed now