Overview
- The National Medical Commission published a draft amendment on May 18 that would reinstate a 10-year maximum to finish the MBBS degree and the compulsory rotatory medical internship.
- The draft explicitly counts the continuous rotatory medical internship as part of the 10-year completion window so internship time cannot extend the deadline.
- The proposal preserves the existing cap of four attempts to pass the First Professional MBBS examination as a safeguard for academic standards.
- The amendment has been placed in the public domain with a 30-day comment period during which students, colleges, faculty and other stakeholders can submit feedback before the NMC finalises the rule.
- The change reverses a June 2023 cut that shortened the limit to nine years and is aimed at helping students who face illness, academic delays or personal emergencies while keeping attempt limits unchanged, which could reduce loss of eligibility and administrative dropouts for affected students.