Centre approves 5,000 more postgraduate medical seats by 2028-29

India’s postgraduate medical education capacity is set for another expansion, with the Centre approving 5,000 additional postgraduate medical seats over the next four years.

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda informed the Lok Sabha on Friday that India currently has 86,360 postgraduate medical seats. The new seats will be created under Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for strengthening and upgrading existing state and central government medical colleges, standalone postgraduate institutes and government hospitals.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said 5,000 seats will be added between 2025-26 and 2028-29. The government has also raised the financial support ceiling to Rs 1.50



crore per postgraduate seat.

The expansion is aimed at increasing access to specialist medical training and addressing the country's continuing need for specialist doctors.

The government also highlighted the rise in postgraduate seat approvals over the past decade. In 2014-15, the National Medical Commission approved 415 seats and the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences approved 612.

In 2025-26, approvals reached 9,084 seats through the National Medical Commission and 2,009 through the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences.

For 2024-25, the figures were 4,188 and 1,667 respectively, while in 2023-24 they stood at 4,713 and 1,209.