NMC Proposes Key Reforms To Postgraduate Medical Education, Seeks Public Feedback On Draft Regulations 2025

Mumbai: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a draft notification proposing amendments to the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER), 2023. The draft of “Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations (Amendment), 2025,” released on May 30, will come into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

According to the draft notification, one of the major changes involves the tenure and selection of Heads of Departments in medical institutions. It states, “The post of the Head of Department (HoD) will be rotated every three years amongst Professors and Associate Professors who are eligible to become Professor, who holds Medical Postgraduate degree, based on seniority in the Department.”

This amendment aims to promote a more equitable and transparent system of departmental leadership by rotating responsibilities among qualified senior faculty members.

In addition to changes in departmental leadership, the NMC has proposed revisions to the eligibility criteria for feeder broad speciality qualifications required for admission to certain super speciality medical courses.

The proposed amendments to Regulation 7.1 and Part B of Annexure-7 affect the eligibility criteria for three super speciality medical courses: M.Ch. in Neurosurgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and Vascular Surgery. If the changes are approved, students applying for M.Ch. in Neurosurgery will be eligible if they have completed a postgraduate degree (M.S. or DNB) in General Surgery, Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT), or Traumatology and Surgery.

Those applying for M.Ch. in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery can come from the same three backgrounds. For M.Ch. in Vascular Surgery, applicants must have a postgraduate degree (M.S. or DNB) in General Surgery or an M.S. in Traumatology and Surgery.

The NMC has emphasised that these amendments have been drafted and approved by the competent authority following due procedures. “This draft regulation is hereby published for information of all stakeholders likely to be affected,” the notification reads.

It further informs that the proposed regulations shall be taken into consideration on or after the expiry of a period of thirty days from the date on which the Gazette containing the draft is made available to the public.

The Commission has invited objections and suggestions from stakeholders, which must be submitted within the specified 30-day period and exclusively via email to [pgmer2025amendment@nmc.org.in] in the prescribed format. The NMC has made it clear that any objections or suggestions received in physical form or through any mode other than the specified email address will not be considered.