NEW DELHI: Non-teaching government hospitals with over 220 beds can now be designated as teaching institutions as per the new regulations that the National Medical Commission (NMC) notified on Saturday.

Also, the existing specialists with 10 years of experience can be appointed as Associate Professors, and those with two years can be appointed as Assistant Professors—without the mandatory Senior Residency— provided they complete the Basic Course in Biomedical Research (BCBR) within two years.

The new regulations - Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025 - were brought in with the aim to address the growing demand for healthcare professionals and enhance the quality of medical education, the NMC said.

The new rules also allow PG courses to be started in medical institutions with two faculty members and two seats, relaxing the earlier requirement of three faculty and a senior resident.

Bed requirements per unit have also been rationalized for several specialties.

In addition to Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry, departments of Microbiology and Pharmacology can now appoint faculty with MSc-PhD qualifications.

These regulations, brought in by the Post Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) under NMC, are designed to widen the pool of eligible faculty and facilitate the expansion of undergraduate (MBBS) and postgraduate (MD/MS) seats in medical colleges across India.

According to officials, these new regulations are a major step towards unlocking the existing human resource potential within government health systems and optimizing medical education infrastructure.

The new regulations will now enable faculty from government hospitals. It will also help expand recognition of experience.

As per the new regulations, senior consultants with three years of teaching experience in National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS)-recognized government medical institutions are eligible for the post of Professor.

Diploma holders working as specialist or medical officer in the respective departments of a government medical institution or government medical institution running NBEMS-recognized teaching programme having cumulative experience of six years will be eligible for the post of Assistant Professor.

A cumulative period of up to five years served by a faculty member in the NMC or a University or State Medical Council of medical education department or medical research related government organization will now be deemed as teaching experience.

New government medical colleges are now permitted to start UG and PG courses simultaneously, expediting the production of healthcare professionals and teaching faculty.

More feeder broad specialties have been allowed for various super specialty programs, enabling better utilization of existing faculty across departments.

The upper age limit for appointment as Senior Resident has been increased to 50 years in preclinical and para-clinical subjects such as Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathology, Microbiology, Forensic Medicine, and Community Medicine.

Experience gained as Tutors or Demonstrators by candidates with postgraduate qualifications will now be considered valid for the purpose of eligibility as Assistant Professor.

Faculty with super specialty qualifications currently working in broad specialty departments can now be formally designated as faculty in their corresponding super specialty departments.

India’s healthcare system is undergoing major transformation, with the central government announcing a vision to add 75,000 new medical seats over the next five years.

However, a critical bottleneck has been the availability of qualified faculty required to initiate or expand medical programs.

“These forward-looking regulations mark a paradigm shift in how faculty eligibility is determined - shifting the focus from rigid service norms to competency, teaching experience, and academic merit. By unlocking the untapped potential within the existing government healthcare workforce, this reform will accelerate the expansion of medical education, particularly in underserved areas,” a statement from NMC said.

“The Medical Institutions (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations, 2025 will directly support the national goal of expanding access to quality medical education, strengthening institutional capacity, and producing a robust pipeline of healthcare professionals to serve India's growing needs,” it added.