NEW DELHI, JUL 29 (PTI): The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued fresh guidelines for the assessment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) seeking admission to the MBBS course, under which the admission-related disability certificate will be known as an eligibility certificate, while the number of designated assessment centres has been expanded from 16 to 61.
Also, a competency-based framework incorporating reasonable accommodation has been introduced.
The guidelines on assessment of PwBD for admission to the MBBS course, 2026, notified by the undergraduate medical education board of the NMC, replace the earlier framework governing disability assessment for medical admissions. The guidelines stated that the certificate issued by designated medical assessment boards for MBBS admissions, though commonly referred to as a disability certificate, shall be known as an eligibility certificate as it is intended to certify whether a candidate is eligible for admission based on functional assessment rather than merely certifying the existence or extent of disability.
The guidelines also stated that the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has “expanded the designated assessment centres from 16 to 61across the country” to facilitate “greater accessibility, transparency and uniformity in the assessment process”. Any further expansion of assessment boards will be notified by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).
The NMC said the guidelines introduce a competency-based and function-oriented assessment framework under which “the determination of eligibility shall not rest solely upon the numerical percentage or category of disability reflected in the UDID Card or other disability certification”.
While benchmark disability under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, will continue to determine eligibility for reservation, admission to the MBBS course “shall be based upon an objective evaluation of the candidate’s functional competencies”, with due regard to reasonable accommodation, assistive technology, environmental accessibility and advances in rehabilitation science.
The document also lays down a detailed framework for providing reasonable accommodation.
It states that before declaring a candidate ineligible, the medical assessment board “shall examine whether reasonable accommodation, assistive technology, adaptive devices or appropriate infrastructural support would enable the candidate to successfully pursue and complete the MBBS course without compromising the acquisition of the prescribed competencies.”
The guidelines further clarify that “provision of reasonable accommodation shall not be construed as dilution of academic standards but shall constitute a measure to ensure substantive equality of opportunity for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities.”
They say reasonable accommodation may include assistive devices, adaptive equipment, digital accessibility, accessible teaching and learning material, communication support, ergonomic modifications, examination accommodations consistent with academic standards and accessible clinical learning environments.
The board will determine whether a candidate is eligible, eligible with reasonable accommodation or ineligible after evaluating the candidate’s demonstrated functional competency in relation to the Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) curriculum, the feasibility of providing reasonable accommodation and patient safety.
The guidelines emphasise that every assessment “shall be individualised, objective and evidence-based” and that “no candidate shall be declared eligible or ineligible solely on account of the category or percentage of disability.”
They also state that no candidate shall be declared ineligible solely on the basis of diagnosis, disability category, percentage of benchmark disability recorded in the UDID card or disability certificate, or generalised assumptions or stereotypes associated with any disability.
Candidates seeking admission under the PwBD category must possess a benchmark disability of not less than 40 per cent under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, a valid Permanent Unique Disability Identity (UDID) card and submit a self-certified affidavit declaring their functional abilities, which will be verified during assessment.
The guidelines also provide for an appellate mechanism before an authority constituted by the DGHS for candidates aggrieved by the findings of the Medical Assessment Board.
Medical colleges have been asked to provide barrier-free access and reasonable accommodation, designate nodal officers to assist PwBD candidates and establish accessible and time-bound grievance redressal mechanisms.
The NMC said the 2026 guidelines will supersede all previous guidelines, advisories and instructions relating to the assessment of persons with benchmark disabilities for admission to the MBBS course.
