Centre Announces Additional Round for MBBS Admissions to Fill Vacant Seats Nationwide
Pune, 1st November 2023: A month following the closure of the deadline for MBBS admissions, the Centre has revealed plans for an extra round to address vacant seats in undergraduate medical courses across the country, in compliance with a Supreme Court directive. Approximately 2,200 seats remain unoccupied in MBBS alone, with 156 falling under the all-India quota. The new deadline for the conclusion of all admissions has been extended to November 15.
Among these vacancies are seats that were invalidated by the National Medical Commission (NMC) just ten days ago, citing violations of norms. In Maharashtra, 141 such admissions faced invalidation due to institute-level conduct.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare took the matter to the apex court, seeking an extension of the last admission date to prevent the wastage of ‘precious’ medical seats in the broader public interest. Numerous representations from state governments and students advocating for an extension and a special round prompted this move.
In response to the court order, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), under the Centre’s Directorate General of Health Services, has announced a special stray vacancy round to fill all vacant undergraduate seats, encompassing MBBS/BDS/BSc, and nursing seats in both all-India and state quotas.
Some of these unoccupied seats are in high-demand government colleges. The Centre emphasized in court that there are 2,182 vacant MBBS seats, which includes those discharged after the recent NMC circular.
An official from the ministry stated that states can conduct counseling for these invalidated seats, and if the proper NMC-approved process is followed, previous admissions will be regularized. While many states invalidated admissions for missing the September 30 deadline, Maharashtra’s 141 admissions were canceled for allowing institute-level admissions, a practice not permitted by the NMC this year.
A medical education department official from Maharashtra clarified that they had no vacancies as of September 30. Regarding the 141 canceled admissions, a letter has been sent to the Union ministry seeking acceptance, with officials awaiting a response. The total number of vacant MBBS seats, including 156 in the all-India quota, prompts a fresh deadline for all admissions, now set for November 15.
