19 vacancies in National Medical Commission, govt admits in Rajya Sabha | India News
New Delhi: About one-third of the posts in the country’s apex medical education regulator National Medical Commission (NMC) are lying vacant, the Center informed the Rajya Sabha on February 10, 2026.Shri Vivek K. In response to a question from Tanka, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said the authorized strength of the NMC and its four autonomous boards is 54, of which 19 posts are vacant. At present only 35 posts are filled in the commission and its boards.Within the Commission, 28 of the 33 sanctioned posts consist of the Chairman, ex-officio members and part-time members. The post of secretary is filled. However, vacancies are more visible in autonomous boards responsible for regulating undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, medical assessment and accreditation, and ethics and medical registration.Parliamentary data indicate that some boards are operating with only a limited number of members, with several chairperson and full-time membership positions unfilled. These boards play an important role in accrediting medical colleges, monitoring the quality of training and enforcing professional ethics.Addressing concerns about working between vacancies, the commission informed the government that it has “adequate institutional arrangements” to ensure continued discharge of statutory responsibilities under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.The ministry added that filling up of vacancies is a continuous process and measures are taken as per provisions of law including advertisement from time to time to fill up vacancies.This disclosure comes at a time when India is expanding its medical education capacity, increasing the number of colleges and seats, with full staffing at the regulatory level important to maintain standards and oversight.
