Overview
- The National Medical Commission has placed a draft amendment in the Gazette that would allow MBBS students up to 10 years to finish the degree and the compulsory rotatory medical internship and opened a 30-day public comment period.
- The proposal would reverse a June 2023 change that shortened the maximum completion window to nine years and explicitly reinstate the earlier 10-year ceiling including internship time.
- The draft keeps the rule that no student may take the First Professional MBBS examination more than four times, a safeguard NMC says preserves academic standards.
- NMC officials and medical-education observers say the change is meant to help students who face academic setbacks, health problems, family emergencies or other interruptions finish their training without losing eligibility.
- The amendment is not final: the commission will review objections and suggestions filed during the consultation and then decide on the final text, a step that will determine how the change affects student progression, licensing timelines and college administration.