Chennai: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved the addition of 100 MBBS seats in two government medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, increasing intake by 50 seats each.

The additional seats have been sanctioned for the Government Medical College and Hospital, Namakkal, and the Government Medical College, Tiruppur. With the approval, the annual MBBS intake in both institutions will increase from 100 to 150 seats each.

Tamil Nadu had last witnessed a major expansion of MBBS seats in 2021, when 11 new government medical colleges were inaugurated during the final phase of the AIADMK government. In the same year, Coimbatore Medical College was also allotted an additional 50 MBBS seats.

The newly sanctioned seats will also benefit students admitted under the 7.5% horizontal reservation for government school students.

The Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) had issued Letters of Permission to the Namakkal and Tiruppur medical colleges in 2019, following which both institutions were affiliated with the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University.

This marks the first increase in MBBS seats in the State since the 2021 expansion, ending a gap of nearly five years.