In good news for students seeking admission to government medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved the admission of 175 MBBS seats in Piduguralla Government Medical College and Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada, taking the total number of newly-added MBBS seats during the current year to 325.According to a release issued by the Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare, the NMC has approved the Government Medical College in Piduguralla to admit 100 MBBS students from the 2026-27 academic year, and the Siddhartha Medical College has been sanctioned an additional 75 MBBS seats.The NMC issued the respective Letters of Permission (LoPs) on Monday. Earlier, the NMC approved additional seats in Government Medical Colleges in Kadapa, Nellore and Paderu, all of which takes the number of newly-added seats this year to 325.This development comes after Minister for Health, Medical and Family Welfare Satya Kumar Yadav’s discussions with the NMC, said the release.In all, 505 new MBBS seats have been added during the tenure of the TDP-led NDA government. The Health Minister said it would benefit economically weaker students, and reduce the need for them to seek admission in expensive private medical colleges.He said many students who previously missed out on government medical seats by a narrow margin in their ranks will now have a chance of securing admission.With these additions, the total number of MBBS seats in Andhra Pradesh has increased to 7,090. Published - July 13, 2026 08:05 pm IST