NEET UG 2026: MBBS academic session to begin on Sept 8, MMCH set for 100 seats
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Daltonganj, August 8: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has scheduled September 8 as the commencement date for the…
Medinirai Medical College and Hospital (MMCH), Daltonganj.
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, August 8: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has scheduled September 8 as the commencement date for the 2026-27 academic session of undergraduate medical courses, paving the way for the admission process for first-year MBBS students across medical colleges.
The NEET UG 2026 counselling schedule for both the All India Quota and state quota has been issued, according to a copy of the schedule available with this correspondent. The admission process will include three rounds of counselling, followed by a Stray Vacancy Round to fill seats remaining vacant after the regular rounds.
Stray Vacancy Round to Begin on September 28
According to the NEET UG 2026 schedule, the Stray Vacancy Round for both the All India Quota and state quota is scheduled to begin on September 28.
The stray vacancy round is the final stage of the counselling process and is conducted to fill leftover seats in MBBS and dental courses after completion of the earlier rounds of admission.
Medinirai Medical College to Offer 100 MBBS Seats
Palamu district’s Medinirai Medical College Hospital, located at Pokhraha, around seven kilometres from Zero Mile near the district collectorate in Daltonganj, has an approved intake capacity of 100 MBBS students for 2026, subject to conditions laid down by the National Medical Commission.
The NMC has granted conditional permission for the 100-seat intake, with the medical college required to address deficiencies related to infrastructure, faculty, research and clinical facilities. The deadline for compliance with the stipulated conditions ended on August 6.
Of the 100 MBBS seats, 15 per cent will fall under the All India Quota, while the remaining 85 per cent will come under the state quota and be managed through the Jharkhand Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (JCECEB).
Medinirai Medical College Principal Dr Jakka Srinivas Rao said the institution had admitted 99 students in the 2025 academic session and expressed hope that it would fill all 100 seats this year.
“We had just one seat short of 100 admissions in 2025. We hope to have 100 students this year,” Rao said.
Two-Level Certificate Verification for MBBS Admissions
Asked about attempts by candidates to submit forged or questionable certificates during the medical admission process, Rao said the state government had appointed two nodal officers to strengthen verification.
“One nodal officer will oversee online scrutiny and verification of certificates, while the other will handle offline verification,” he said.
Sources said the documents subject to verification include residence, caste, income, disability and academic certificates.
According to sources, several anomalies and irregularities were detected in residence, caste and disability certificates submitted by a handful of candidates during the 2025 medical admission process in government-run medical colleges in Jharkhand.
Sources in the state Health and Medical Education Department said the discrepancies were detected in time, preventing any wrongful admission to MBBS courses.
Disability Certificates Under Closer Scrutiny
Medical sources said some candidates had subsequently attempted to claim hearing disability during the admission process, a category that can require detailed medical assessment.
According to medical sources, a hearing disability for admission purposes requires a minimum hearing loss of 40 per cent, with the extent of hearing loss required to be certified by an authorised medical board through pure-tone and speech audiometry.
Sources at the medical college recalled an incident during the 2025 admission process in which a girl candidate claiming hearing disability reportedly left the campus when questioned about her disability documents.
The allegations could not be independently verified.
Documents of 99 Medicos Sent to CID
In a separate development, documents and certificates relating to 99 medical students admitted to the college in the 2025 batch have been sent to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Ranchi, for detailed verification under directions of the state government.
With the 2026-27 admission process approaching, Principal Rao said the college would maintain heightened vigilance throughout the counselling and admission process.
“Our team will remain highly vigilant once the three rounds of counselling and the stray vacancy counselling are completed,” Rao said.
The college authorities have advised NEET UG aspirants and their parents to refrain from submitting false information, forged documents or adopting any malpractice during the admission process, warning that the consequences of such practices could be serious and long-lasting.
