NMC discontinues PG diploma medical courses across India, shifts entire focus on MD/MS programmes

STC NEWS MONITORING DESK
NEW DELHI, JUNE 23 (STC): In a complete shift to MD and MS degree programmes in specialist medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has decided to discontinue postgraduate diploma medical courses across India. By virtue of this decision, admission to PG diploma courses will be done for the last time in 2026-27. Thereafter, admission to these programs will not take place anymore, said reports appearing in cross section of media here today.
Quoting an official notice from the NMC, the 2026-27 academic year will mark the end of admissions for postgraduate diploma courses. Thereafter, admission to PG diploma programs will not be allowed at all in the 2027-28 academic year.
By completely switching to degree specialist education, NMC hopes to make academic standards even higher.
Major change in postgraduate medical education
Postgraduate diploma programmes have been serving as a mode through which doctors could obtain specialist training for decades. The NMC has however come up with a decision according to which degree courses must be used as the main way of obtaining further training in medicine.
According to the commission, many medical colleges already have the capability of offering MD/MS programmes due to their infrastructure, manpower, patients and clinical facilities. It has therefore become easy for the institutes to convert their diploma seats to degree seats.
It is believed that the change would enable better utilization of resources by the institutions while offering specialist training at the same time.
The reports said, the latest announcement is not an isolated policy shift. It follows provisions already included in the Post-Graduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER) 2023.
Under those regulations, medical colleges were permitted to seek conversion of diploma seats into degree seats. The rules had also made it clear that fresh proposals to start new diploma courses or increase existing diploma seats would not be considered.
The latest notification now sets a clear deadline and establishes a roadmap for the complete phase-out of diploma admissions.
Experts said the reform is expected to bring greater uniformity to postgraduate medical qualifications and could influence how future generations of doctors receive specialist training.
(Straight Talk Communications I Inputs from Agencies)