Explained | Why NMC is phasing out PG diploma medical courses from 2027 onwards

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Story so far: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has decided to phase out all Post Graduate (PG) Diploma Medical Courses in India. The 2026–27 academic session will be the last year in which students can apply for these programs. No new entries will be allowed from 2027–28 and courses will cease to operate. Existing Diploma seats will be converted to corresponding seats for MD/MS degrees.

In its order issued earlier this week, the NMC’s Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) directed medical colleges offering PG diploma courses to apply for conversion of these posts into MD/MS posts with broad specializations through the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB). The regulator said no new applications to start or increase diploma places would be accepted.

Which courses will be affected?

The move affects traditional diploma programs including Diplomas in Gynecology and Obstetrics (DGO), Diploma in Child Health (DCH), Diploma in Anesthesia (DA), Medical Radiodiagnosis (DMRD), Ophthalmology (DO) and others.

These courses typically lasted two years compared to three years for MD/MS programs.

Why did the NMC take this call?

This is not a sudden decision. The latest direction builds on provisions already contained in the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations (PGMER), 2023. The regulations allowed colleges to convert diploma seats into diploma seats and indicated that no new diploma extensions would be allowed. The latest announcement effectively sets a deadline for complete decommissioning.

The NMC claims the aim is to standardize postgraduate medical education; increase the quality and recognition of specialized training; align qualifications with current educational standards; and optimize existing faculty infrastructure and resources. “The idea is to offer specialized training through a single degree-based framework rather than parallel streams of diplomas and degrees,” said a senior health official.

The recent direction is actually the culmination of a policy shift that has been underway for nearly two decades. Diploma courses were created in the pre-independence and early post-independence era when India desperately needed specialists but lacked enough teaching hospitals and faculties to run MD/MS programmes. The two-year diploma was seen as a practical way to quickly produce specialists, especially for district hospitals and smaller towns.

For decades, a DGO or DCH holder could become the backbone of maternal and child health services in rural India. But now with the proliferation of MD/MS posts and degree holders getting an advantage – better academic recognition, easier eligibility for teaching posts and better prospects for super specialist training (DM/MCh) – there has been pressure on the NMC to convert diploma posts into degree posts.

The process accelerated after the formation of NMC in 2020. The breakthrough came with PGMER, 2023 which mandated that – colleges can convert diploma seats into diploma seats, no new diploma courses will be approved and there will be no increase in diploma seats.

What will happen to existing degrees and what does this move mean for MBBS students?

Existing posts are expected to be converted to MD/MS posts if institutions meet NMC standards for faculty, infrastructure and clinical material. Colleges were asked to apply for this conversion through a specialized MARB process.

For MBBS students, this translates into uniform professional qualifications across the country and better recognition of qualifications in academic and professional settings.

What are the concerns so far?

Diploma courses were often a faster route to specialization and many district and smaller hospitals depended on diploma specialists. This could also reduce flexibility and delay the availability of specialists in underserved areas.

Published – 25 Jun 2026 10:13 IST