In a major reform aimed at modernising allied healthcare education in India, the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), has released the Competency-Based Curriculum for the Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (DMLT) through a notification dated July 1, 2026.

The new curriculum is designed to improve the quality, uniformity and global competitiveness of medical laboratory education by shifting from traditional knowledge-based teaching to a competency-based education model. Educational institutions offering, or planning to offer, the DMLT programme have been advised to implement the revised curriculum from the 2026–27 academic year, with mandatory adoption from the 2027–28 academic session.

The two-year Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (DMLT) programme is open to students who have completed Class 12 in the Science stream with Physics, Chemistry and Biology from a recognised board. The curriculum focuses on developing the Knowledge, Skills, Values and Attitudes (KSVA) required for delivering high-quality diagnostic laboratory services.

According to the Commission, the revised programme has been structured to produce competent Medical Laboratory Associates capable of performing responsibilities across the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical phases of laboratory testing. The curriculum also places strong emphasis on quality assurance, patient safety, ethical practices and professional accountability to meet the evolving needs of India's healthcare system.

The DMLT curriculum follows the Commission's earlier release of Competency-Based Curricula for the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (B.MLS) and Master of Medical Laboratory Science (M.MLS) on October 15, 2025, both of which are also scheduled for implementation from the 2026–27 academic year.

In addition to DMLT, the NCAHP has notified 16 competency-based curricula across multiple allied and healthcare disciplines. These include Applied Psychology and Behavioral Health, Physiotherapy, Optometry, Nutrition and Dietetics, Medical Radiology and Imaging Technology, Radiotherapy, Dialysis Therapy Technology, Health Information Management, Anesthesia and Operation Theatre Technology, Physician Associates, Occupational Therapy, Emergency Medical Technology, Respiratory Technology, Medical and Psychiatric Social Work, Medical Physics, and Nuclear Medicine Technology. All these programmes are set for mandatory implementation from the 2026–27 academic session.

The curriculum reforms align with the Union Budget 2026–27, which announced a target of creating one lakh additional Allied and Healthcare Professionals (AHPs) over the next five years. Through competency-based education, the Commission aims to strengthen India's healthcare workforce while ensuring that graduates possess industry-relevant skills and are prepared to meet both national and international healthcare standards.

The NCAHP believes that greater clinical exposure, standardised competencies and practical training will enhance graduates' employability and improve opportunities for global professional mobility in the allied healthcare sector.

To support the transition, the Commission has been actively engaging with universities, colleges and other stakeholders across the country. As part of this outreach, eight national-level webinars have been conducted to familiarise institutions with the new competency-based curricula and address implementation-related queries. According to the Commission, the strong participation from educational institutions reflects broad acceptance of the reforms and readiness to implement the new academic framework.

With the introduction of the competency-based DMLT curriculum, India takes another significant step towards strengthening allied healthcare education and producing skilled professionals equipped to meet the growing demand for quality diagnostic and healthcare services in the country and abroad.

The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DME&R) has opened a grievance redressal window for candidates who applied for MBBS and BDS admissions for the 2026-27 academic session. The facility allows applicants to raise concerns regarding their eligibility status and upload supporting documents until August 7.

The selection committee published the list of candidates marked as ineligible after scrutinising online applications. Initially, only candidates declared ineligible were allowed to access the grievance portal. However, the committee has now extended the facility to all registered applicants, enabling them to review their application status and submit additional documents if required.

Candidates can log in using their registered ID and password to upload the necessary supporting documents. Officials have clarified that the current window is meant only for grievance redressal and document correction. No fresh applications will be accepted during this period.

Over 72,000 Applications Received

Tamil Nadu has witnessed a strong response for MBBS and BDS admissions this year. According to the selection committee, a total of 72,627 applications have been received.

Of these:

• 41,723 applications were submitted under the government quota.
• 30,904 applications were received for management quota seats.

Interestingly, the number of applications exceeds the number of students from Tamil Nadu who qualified the NEET-UG 2026 examination. Data released by the National Testing Agency (NTA) shows that 61,306 candidates from the state successfully qualified NEET-UG this year. The higher number of applications could be attributed to candidates applying under multiple categories or applicants from outside the state seeking eligible quotas.

MBBS Seats Increased for 2026-27

Tamil Nadu has also expanded its medical education capacity for the current academic year. The state now offers 13,999 MBBS seats, following the addition of 950 new seats.

The newly added seats include:

• 150 seats in three new government medical colleges located in Tiruvallur, Tiruppur, and Namakkal.
• 800 additional seats across private medical colleges.

The expansion is expected to improve access to medical education and accommodate the growing number of aspiring doctors in the state.

What Applicants Should Do

Candidates whose applications have been marked ineligible—or those who wish to verify and correct their submitted documents—should complete the grievance process before the August 7 deadline. After the grievance window closes, the selection committee is expected to finalise the merit list and proceed with the counselling process for MBBS and BDS admissions under both government and management quotas.

Applicants are advised to carefully review their uploaded documents and ensure that all supporting certificates are submitted within the stipulated timeframe to avoid disqualification during the admission process.

In a major push to strengthen healthcare education and build a skilled allied health workforce, Dr NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) has announced plans to introduce 17 National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP)-approved Allied and Healthcare Profession courses across Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) in Andhra Pradesh. The new programmes will be rolled out in a phased manner beginning with the 2026–27 academic session.

The proposal was reviewed during a high-level meeting chaired by Vice-Chancellor Dr Pulala Chandrasekhar at the university campus in Vijayawada. Senior university officials, representatives from the Andhra Pradesh State Allied and Healthcare Professions Council (APSAHPC), and academic administrators participated in the discussions on implementing the new courses.

The initiative is aimed at expanding opportunities in allied healthcare education while strengthening existing programmes in line with the standards prescribed by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP). The phased implementation will depend on the availability of qualified faculty, institutional infrastructure and compliance with regulatory norms.

Addressing the meeting, Dr Pulala Chandrasekhar said the university remains committed to producing competent allied healthcare professionals who meet national academic and professional standards. He emphasised that the introduction of the new programmes will help address the growing demand for skilled healthcare professionals across hospitals, diagnostic centres and other healthcare institutions.

Registrar Dr T Sai Sudheer assured full administrative support for the successful implementation of the courses. He said the university would work closely with Government Medical Colleges across the state to ensure the timely rollout of the programmes while maintaining academic quality and regulatory compliance.

Highlighting the importance of research in healthcare education, Director of Research and Development Dr Surya Prabha stressed the need to integrate research, innovation, evidence-based learning and interdisciplinary collaboration into allied healthcare programmes. According to her, these elements are essential for enhancing academic excellence and preparing graduates for evolving healthcare challenges.

During the meeting, Joint Registrar (Academic) Dr Neelima presented a detailed implementation roadmap covering curriculum adoption, academic regulations, institutional preparedness and the phased introduction of the 17 courses across participating medical colleges.

Dr Y Venkateswara Rao, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Allied and Healthcare Professions Council (APSAHPC), highlighted the importance of systematically implementing the NCAHP-approved curriculum to develop a competent and professionally trained allied healthcare workforce. He noted that standardised education and competency-based training are essential for improving healthcare delivery and ensuring uniform professional standards.

APSAHPC Secretary Sumaila also outlined the regulatory framework governing allied healthcare education and explained the implementation strategy that institutions will follow during the phased rollout.

The introduction of these programmes comes at a time when India is placing greater emphasis on strengthening allied healthcare education to address the growing shortage of trained healthcare professionals. Allied health professionals—including laboratory technologists, radiographers, physiotherapists, operation theatre technologists and other specialists—play a vital role in diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and patient care.

With the launch of these 17 NCAHP-approved allied healthcare courses, Andhra Pradesh aims to expand educational opportunities for students while contributing to the development of a skilled healthcare workforce capable of meeting the state's and the country's increasing healthcare demands.

India's healthcare sector is increasingly recognising allied and healthcare education as a critical pillar in addressing the country's growing demand for skilled healthcare professionals. With hospitals, diagnostic centres and healthcare providers facing persistent workforce shortages, education leaders and industry stakeholders are calling for greater investment in competency-based learning, curriculum innovation and industry-integrated training to prepare job-ready graduates.

According to Nalin Saluja, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Virohan, the global healthcare sector is confronting an unprecedented workforce crisis. Estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate a shortage of nearly 18 million health workers by 2030, while India alone faces a shortfall of more than 6 million Allied and Healthcare Professionals (AHPs). The country's healthcare workforce density currently stands at around 21 professionals per 10,000 people, significantly below the WHO benchmark of 44.5 per 10,000.

Saluja noted that discussions around healthcare careers often focus primarily on doctors and nurses, even though Allied and Healthcare Professionals account for nearly 60% of the healthcare workforce. These professionals—including laboratory technicians, radiographers, physiotherapists, operation theatre technicians, optometrists and other specialists—play an essential role in diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and patient care across the healthcare system.

He emphasised that the challenge is no longer identifying the shortage but developing a skilled workforce capable of meeting the country's expanding healthcare needs.

A major step towards this objective came with the implementation of the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021, which introduced standardised curricula, competency-based education and a common regulatory framework for allied healthcare programmes. The Union Budget 2026–27 further reinforced this direction by allocating ₹1,000 crore to strengthen India's healthcare workforce. While policy reforms have created the foundation, Saluja believes successful implementation will depend largely on the quality of education and practical training provided to students.

Although India's Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education continues to improve, employability remains a concern. Citing the India Skills Report 2025, Saluja observed that only about 55% of graduates are considered employable. Healthcare education faces similar challenges despite growing student interest. More than 22 lakh students registered for NEET-UG this year, but only a small proportion will secure MBBS seats, leaving millions of aspiring healthcare professionals searching for alternative career pathways.

He argued that allied healthcare education offers a significant opportunity to address this gap by expanding awareness of diverse healthcare careers beyond medicine and by equipping students with industry-relevant skills from the beginning of their academic journey.

Drawing on Virohan's experience in healthcare vocational education, Saluja said classroom instruction alone is insufficient for preparing future healthcare professionals. Instead, students benefit most from competency-based education, industry-designed curricula, technology-enabled practical training and continuous engagement with hospitals and employers. Training students on the same clinical protocols, workflows and equipment used in healthcare settings helps ensure a smoother transition into the workforce.

He stressed that employability should be embedded into the education process rather than treated as an outcome after graduation.

As India's healthcare infrastructure continues to expand, the focus is shifting from simply increasing the number of healthcare workers to developing professionals who are competent, industry-ready and capable of strengthening patient care from their very first day on the job. Allied healthcare education is increasingly being viewed as a strategic solution to bridge workforce gaps while creating meaningful career opportunities for the country's growing youth population.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have uncovered the molecular structure of EP67, a synthetic vaccine adjuvant that could help develop safer and more effective vaccine boosters. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the study provides a near-atomic view of how the molecule activates the immune system while minimising excessive inflammation, opening new possibilities for vaccine and immunotherapy development.

The findings could contribute to the design of next-generation vaccines that generate stronger and longer-lasting immune responses with fewer inflammatory side effects.

Decoding how EP67 activates the immune system

EP67 is a synthetic peptide made of 10 amino acids, engineered from the naturally occurring immune protein C5a. While C5a can trigger strong inflammatory responses, EP67 has been designed to selectively activate dendritic cells and macrophages—key immune cells involved in initiating protective immunity—without stimulating neutrophils, which are associated with excessive inflammation.

Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) at IIT Kanpur's National Cryo-EM Facility, researchers captured EP67 binding to the C5aR1 receptor in remarkable detail. The images revealed that the peptide folds into a distinctive hook-like shape, allowing it to fit precisely into the receptor and activate immune signalling.

Blueprint for future vaccine design

The structural insights provide researchers with a molecular blueprint for designing improved vaccine adjuvants. By understanding exactly how EP67 interacts with its receptor, scientists can now explore modifications to its amino acid sequence to enhance stability, effectiveness, and precision.

The C5aR1 receptor belongs to the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family, one of the most important classes of drug targets, with approximately one-third of prescription medicines acting on GPCRs.

Potential beyond vaccines

In addition to improving vaccine boosters, EP67 has shown promise in pre-clinical animal studies by enhancing immune responses against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Researchers believe the molecule could eventually find applications in vaccines targeting infectious diseases as well as therapies that strengthen immune responses against difficult-to-treat bacterial infections.

Next steps

The IIT Kanpur team plans to continue pre-clinical studies to optimise EP67's formulation and dosage before evaluating its safety and effectiveness in human clinical trials.

Future research will also investigate its potential use in vaccine platforms for diseases such as COVID-19 and its broader role in combating antimicrobial resistance.

The study represents a significant advance in structural immunology, offering new insights that could support the development of safer vaccine boosters and next-generation immune therapies.

In a major reform aimed at reducing administrative delays and strengthening institutional autonomy, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has announced that medical colleges and universities will now independently decide faculty appointments, promotions and designations. Under the new framework, the NMC will no longer issue routine eligibility certificates or intervene in standard faculty appointment cases, placing greater responsibility on institutions to implement the Medical Institutions Qualification of Faculty Regulations (MI-QFR) 2025.

The decision, announced through a public notice issued by the Postgraduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB), is expected to streamline faculty recruitment and promotion processes across medical colleges while reducing the regulatory burden on the Commission.

Medical colleges to take independent decisions

According to the NMC, a significant number of institutions had been referring routine eligibility cases to the Commission even though they could have been resolved under the existing regulations. These referrals included matters related to faculty appointments, promotions and designation changes that were already covered by the provisions of MI-QFR 2025.

To address this, the Commission has clarified that medical colleges, universities and other appointing authorities will now be responsible for determining whether candidates fulfil the eligibility criteria for faculty positions.

The NMC said institutions should evaluate candidates based on the provisions already laid down in the MI-QFR 2025 regulations, which specify the required academic qualifications, teaching experience, research publications, training requirements and other eligibility norms for faculty appointments and career progression.

As a result, the PGMEB will no longer examine cases that can be decided directly by institutions using the existing regulations.

NMC to step in only for exceptional cases

While routine cases will now be handled internally by institutions, the NMC will continue to consider complex or exceptional cases that involve ambiguity in interpreting the regulations.

Such cases may include disputes regarding the equivalence of qualifications, interpretation of transition provisions, or issues requiring coordination with other regulatory frameworks.

The Commission has clarified that these applications must be submitted only through the Dean, Director, Principal or Registrar of the concerned institution. Institutions must clearly identify the specific provision of the MI-QFR 2025 that requires clarification and provide all relevant supporting documents.

₹25,000 processing fee for special applications

For cases requiring NMC intervention, institutions must submit a processing fee of ₹25,000, along with the applicable 18% GST, making the total fee payable higher. The Commission has stated that this fee is non-refundable, irrespective of the outcome of the application.

The NMC has also made it clear that applications submitted directly by individual faculty members or candidates will not be accepted under normal circumstances.

However, an exception has been introduced to safeguard applicants. If a medical college or university fails to forward a genuine request to the NMC within 60 days of receiving it, the concerned candidate may apply directly to the PGMEB.

In such cases, the applicant must submit a signed declaration, proof that the institution failed to act within the stipulated period, all supporting documents and the prescribed processing fee. If the institution had already collected the fee from the candidate, it will be required to refund the amount.

New rules effective immediately

The Commission has announced that the revised procedure has come into force with immediate effect.

However, applications received by the NMC before July 16 will continue to be processed under the previous system, while all applications received on or after July 16 will be governed by the new guidelines.

The latest move is expected to accelerate faculty recruitment and promotion decisions by empowering institutions to implement the MI-QFR 2025 regulations independently, while allowing the NMC to focus on policy interpretation and complex regulatory issues rather than routine administrative approvals.