National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences(NBEMS)

The Government of India established the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) in 1975 with the objective of improving the quality of Medical Education by establishing high and uniform standards of postgraduate examinations in modern medicine on an all-India basis and utilizing existing infrastructure for capacity building.

NBEMS at present conducts postgraduate and postdoctoral examinations in approved specialties leading to the award of Diplomate of National Board (DNB) and Doctorate of National Board (DrNB) respectively. The Examinations conducted by NBEMS provide a common standard and mechanism of evaluation of the minimum level of attainment of the knowledge and competencies of medical specialties. Moreover, intra-country and international comparisons are facilitated with the availability of a common evaluation mechanism.

The nomenclature of the qualification awarded by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) is “Diplomate of National Board” (DNB), “Doctorate of National Board” (DrNB) & “Fellow of National Board” (FNB). These qualifications awarded by NBEMS in various Broad Specialties, Super Specialties, and Sub-Specialties are approved by the Government of India and included in the First Schedule of IMC (repealed) Act 1956 / NMC Act 2019.

The Govt of India has issued notifications from time to time in the Gazette of India recognizing the qualifications awarded by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences.

NBEMS qualifications have been recognized as per provisions of section 37 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019. The equivalence of NBEMS qualifications with the corresponding MD/MS or DM/MCh qualifications awarded under the ambit of NMC has also been defined in the above-mentioned NMC Act.

The dire need for specialists in the country has been long felt and NBEMS is contributing to a great proportion of this need through its DNB, DrNB, and FNB alumni. The NBEMS has accredited more than 1,000 institutions across the country in more than 80 disciplines of modern medicine. NBEMS is contributing around 12000 DNB/DrNB/FNB seats to the pool of Post Graduate, Doctoral, and Post-Doctoral seats in the country.

The very basis of the creation of NBEMS was to address the issue of a uniform standard of medical education across the country. As of date, the NBEMS has successfully established a robust mechanism of uniform accreditation, uniform education, and uniform examination for Post Graduate and Postdoctoral Medical Disciplines in the country which has been Internationally acclaimed.