J&K granted 769 additional PG seats in medical colleges: NMC

Srinagar, Jan 27: Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a significant expansion in postgraduate medical education, with the National Medical Commission (NMC) granting a total of 769 MD/MS and PG Diploma seats to medical colleges in the Union Territory, a substantial portion of which were added in recent academic years.

According to the latest notification issued by the NMC, the total number of postgraduate medical seats across the country has increased from 49,915 in the 2024–25 academic session to 58,331 for 2025–26, reflecting an addition of 8,416 seats nationwide. Among states and Union Territories, Jammu and Kashmir received 120 new PG seats in the ongoing academic year, taking its total PG capacity in broad speciality courses to 769 seats. Officials said the majority of these seats have been allocated to government medical colleges across the Union Territory.

The expansion is part of a broader national effort to strengthen medical education infrastructure and increase the availability of specialist doctors to improve healthcare delivery. In the context of Jammu and Kashmir, the increase is expected to help retain a larger number of medical graduates within the UT and reduce dependence on other states for specialist training.

Healthcare experts have long pointed out an acute shortage of specialist doctors in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in peripheral and rural healthcare facilities. With intense competition for postgraduate seats in the past, many local graduates were compelled to seek training outside the UT. The enhanced seat capacity is expected to ease this pressure and gradually bridge the specialist gap.

As per the NMC seat matrix, major increases have been approved in a wide range of disciplines, including MD Biochemistry, MD Emergency Medicine, MD Immunohematology, MD Paediatrics, MD Psychiatry, MD Radiation Oncology, MD Respiratory Medicine, MD Anaesthesiology, MD Anatomy, MD Dermatology, MD General Medicine, MD Pathology and MD Radiodiagnosis. Additional seats have also been sanctioned in diploma courses such as Diploma in Anaesthesia, Diploma in Child Health, Diploma in Gynaecology and Obstetrics and Diploma in Ophthalmology, among others.