SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has 12 medical colleges offering 1,875 MBBS seats, including 11 government colleges with 1,725 seats and one private college with 150 seats, according to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The figures, as on July 30, 2026, show that government institutions account for nearly 92 per cent of the MBBS seats available in the Union Territory.
Across India, the number of medical colleges has increased from 606 in 2021 to 846 as of July 2026, while MBBS seats have risen from 92,065 to 1,39,864 during the same period. Postgraduate medical seats have also increased from 60,202 to 86,360.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the expansion was part of measures taken to strengthen medical education infrastructure and increase the availability of medical seats.
The data showed that 1,999,895 candidates appeared for NEET-UG in 2026, compared with 1,544,273 in 2021. The number peaked at 2,333,297 in 2024 before declining to 2,209,318 in 2025.
For NEET-PG, the number of candidates appearing rose from 166,249 in 2021 to 230,114 in 2025. The 2026 NEET-PG examination is scheduled for August 30.
The Ministry said filling vacant faculty posts in AIIMS and other Central Government medical institutions was a continuous process, with recruitment depending on factors including availability of qualified candidates, reservation rosters and location-specific requirements.
To address faculty shortages in AIIMS, the Government has constituted Standing Selection Committees in each institute, permitted engagement of retired faculty on a contractual basis up to the age of 70, and introduced a Visiting Faculty Scheme.
The National Medical Commission has also framed the Medical Institutions (Qualification of Faculty) Regulations, 2025 to address faculty shortages in medical institutions.
On reports of delayed stipend payments, the Ministry said the NMC’s Compulsory Rotatory Medical Internship regulations require interns to be paid stipends fixed by the competent authority applicable to the concerned institution, university or State.
The NMC, through a public notice issued on March 12, 2026, reiterated the applicable regulatory provisions and penalty framework and directed Deans, Principals, State Medical Councils and Directorates of Medical Education to ensure compliance with stipend-payment requirements.
