The National Medical Commission (NMC) has announced the immediate withdrawal of the Graduate Medical Education Regulations (GMER) 2023, which were recently issued. An official statement released on June 23, 2033, on the NMC’s official website declares that the ‘Guidelines under Graduate Medical Education Regulations 2023’, have been officially withdrawn and cancelled. The initial version of the regulations was released by the NMC on June 2, 2023. However, on June 12, 2023, the commission issued a revised edition of the regulations.
GMER 2023 called for the elimination of additional batches for students who did not pass their yearly exams. The reform aimed to streamline the admission process and ensure that only qualified students were admitted to universities. The comprehensive guidelines, spanning 82 pages, provided detailed instructions on how the new admission procedure would be implemented. According to the guidelines, the admission process would begin on August 1st and conclude on August 30th. Universities were instructed not to accept any student beyond the August 30th deadline. At the time, the aim was to create a fair and standardised system, ensuring that all applicants were treated equally and had equal opportunities to secure admission.
The guidelines published on June 12 suggested revisions to Competency-Based Medical Education. Additionally, modifications were introduced regarding the staffing needs of research facilities within medical colleges. The guidelines also addressed the admission process for the family adoption programme and the inclusion of students under the ‘Disability Category’ in the MBBS course. Furthermore, alterations were made to the format for submitting admission-related information in medical colleges. These guidelines were relevant for admissions to MBBS courses in the academic year of 2023-24. Now they have become invalid. The NMC is anticipated to release updated regulations in the near future.