The National Medical Commission (NMC) on July 27, 2026, issued the Guidelines on Assessment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) for Admission to the MBBS Course, 2026.
The following has been stated:
• The Guidelines balance the rights of PwBD candidates to equality, non-discrimination and reasonable accommodation under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 with the need to maintain academic standards, essential medical competencies and patient safety. Importantly, disability by itself cannot be a ground for exclusion; eligibility shall be determined based on the candidate's functional ability to acquire the essential competencies under the CBME curriculum, considering reasonable accommodation, assistive technology and accessible infrastructure.
• A candidate seeking admission under the PwBD category shall have at least 40% benchmark disability and possess a valid Permanent UDID Card. The Medical Assessment Board shall conduct an individualised and objective functional assessment and cannot determine eligibility solely based on the disability category or percentage recorded in the UDID Card. Before declaring a candidate ineligible, the Board shall consider reasonable accommodation, assistive devices, adaptive technology and other support measures.
• The Board may classify a candidate as Eligible, Eligible with Reasonable Accommodation, or Ineligible. Ineligibility can be declared only through a reasoned and speaking order, where the candidate cannot acquire the essential competencies or presents an objectively demonstrable and unacceptable patient-safety risk that cannot be mitigated through reasonable accommodation.
• The Guidelines also provide an appellate mechanism before an Appellate Authority constituted by DGHS, along with grievance redressal mechanisms. Medical colleges and counselling authorities shall ensure barrier-free access, reasonable accommodation, accessible learning environments and non-discrimination, and each medical college is required to designate a Nodal Officer/enabling mechanism to address PwBD-related issues.
• The Guidelines further require every assessment and recommendation of the Medical Assessment Board to be supported by objective findings, scientific evidence and recorded reasons, and they supersede earlier NMC/MCI guidelines to the extent of inconsistency.
[Notification no. - U-11021/24204/PwBD/2026/UGMEB]
