MD Anaesthesiology in 2026: 6,419 Seats, Real Closing Ranks and What the Job Pays

MD Anaesthesiology has 6,419 seats in the National Medical Commission's updated seat matrix for 2026-27. Only MD General Medicine, with 6,983, has more. Yet in MCC Round 1 this year, not one of the top 500 rankers chose it.

That gap between size and glamour is the story of the branch. It is easy to find a job in, hard to get famous in, and its closing rank shifts more between rounds than most students expect. With the MCC Round 2 result due on 17 November 2026, that last point matters this week.

How many MD Anaesthesiology seats are there in 2026?

The NMC matrix released on 6 November 2026 lists 68,305 broad-speciality PG seats. Anaesthesiology accounts for 6,419 of them, or roughly one seat in every eleven, as reported by Medical Dialogues on 13 November.

The seats are not spread evenly. Karnataka (803), Maharashtra (742), Uttar Pradesh (660) and Tamil Nadu (634) hold 2,839 seats between them. That is about 44% of the national total.

Source: NMC PG seat matrix 2026-27, as reported by Medical Dialogues (13 Nov 2026). Smaller states include West Bengal (205), Delhi (186), Odisha (137) and Bihar (133).

If your home state is in this table, your state-quota chances are usually better than the All India numbers below suggest. Check your own state's merit list before you rule the branch in or out.

Closing ranks by seat type: what Round 1 showed

We analysed MCC 2026 Round 1 allotments under the All India counselling. The table shows where Anaesthesiology seats went, by seat type.

Source: Career Paathshala analysis of MCC 2026 Round 1 allotments. "Typical" is the middle allotted rank. For comparison, the last govt Open seat in the 2025 final round went to AIR 35,635.

Two things stand out. First, the last rank is not the rank you need. Half the government Open seats went to ranks better than about 17,000, and the best colleges were gone before 10,000.

Second, DNB and government MD overlap more than people assume. Our database shows 261 DNB Anaesthesia seats in 2026 went to candidates whose ranks could have fetched a government MD seat. Those doctors chose a hospital over a label.

Why the cut-off moves so much in Round 2

Anaesthesiology is often a holding seat. Many candidates accept it in Round 1 and then try to upgrade to a branch they wanted more.

The 2025 data, compiled by EndorphinMD, shows the scale:

• 63% of government MD Anaesthesia allottees gave up their Round 1 seat.
• 221 doctors upgraded out of Anaesthesia in Round 2, mostly to Ophthalmology and ENT.
• The government Open cut-off moved from AIR 19,028 in Round 1 to 24,796 in Round 2.

By the 2025 final round, the last government Open seat had gone to AIR 35,635. This year's Round 1 closed at 24,614, which is already deeper than last year's Round 1.

None of this promises the same movement in 2026. Seats added, seats surrendered and candidate choices all change each year. But a candidate at rank 28,000 who writes off government Anaesthesia after Round 1 is reading the wrong number.

Karnataka

803

Maharashtra

742

Uttar Pradesh

660

Tamil Nadu

634

Gujarat

422

Telangana

410

Rajasthan

397

Andhra Pradesh

377

Madhya Pradesh

283

Kerala

231

Values in seats

Total 6,419 seats; the top four states hold 2,839 (about 44%). Source: NMC PG seat matrix 2026-27, as reported by Medical Dialogues, 13 Nov 2026.

What the job pays: a 10-year path

Anaesthetists are hired quickly. Every operating list and ICU needs one, and doctors on HealthPil describe it as a stable choice for first-generation doctors because jobs come straight after PG.

The figures below are indicative monthly incomes shared by practising doctors. They are not promises.

Source: Career Paathshala database. Figures shared by Dr Vinish Srivastava (Nachiket Bhatia Show), Dr Daljeet Singh (HealthPil) and our counsellor handbook. Indicative only.

Dr Vinish Srivastava, speaking on the Nachiket Bhatia Show, put a Delhi government senior resident at Rs 1.2-1.4 lakh a month and a corporate attending at Rs 1.5-1.6 lakh, rising to Rs 2-2.5 lakh. Dr Daljeet Singh told HealthPil that smaller cities often pay more than metros, because surgeons there outnumber the anaesthetists available.

The catch is the plateau. Salaried increments slow after a few years. Freelancing across hospitals can pay more, but our counsellor handbook lists the costs: travel, delayed fees and personal legal exposure.

The 3-year cost: government seat vs deemed seat

Here is the arithmetic, kept simple and marked as indicative.

Government seat. A typical first-year stipend of Rs 76,000 a month over 36 months comes to about Rs 27.4 lakh earned (76,000 x 36 = 27,36,000). Tuition is low, from a few thousand rupees to a little over Rs 1 lakh a year depending on the state.

Deemed seat. A typical fee of Rs 30 lakh a year over three years is Rs 90 lakh paid. Deemed stipends vary widely and some are well below government rates, so ask current residents.

Before any deemed stipend, the difference between the two routes is about Rs 1.17 crore (27.4 lakh earned plus 90 lakh paid).

If the Rs 90 lakh is borrowed at 9% for 10 years, the EMI works out to about Rs 1.14 lakh a month. A fresh corporate salary of Rs 1.8-2.3 lakh would lose half or more to that EMI. Your bank's rate and tenure will change these numbers, so run your own.

MD vs DNB vs diploma in Anaesthesia

Our counsellor handbook's advice is to choose by operating-theatre volume and ICU exposure, not by the label.

• MD: exit exam pass rates are roughly 85-90% or higher. It is the simplest route to teaching posts.
• DNB: pass rates have historically been 50-65%. A DNB from a hospital with 500 or more beds counts like MD for teaching. One from a smaller trust hospital may need an extra year of senior residency, so check current NMC rules.
• Diploma: the 2-year diploma has a pass rate of about 80% or more, but it is now a secondary qualification. Plan a post-diploma DNB if you want parity.

Before choice filling, ask residents how many theatres run daily, how many cases they log themselves by second year, and whether they get ultrasound-guided nerve blocks and ICU rotations.

Seat type	Seats analysed	Typical rank	Last rank
Govt MD, All India Quota, Open	202	16,977	24,614
DNB (3 years)	370	28,807	36,391
NBEMS diploma (2 years)	204	47,451	59,746
Deemed university (about Rs 30 lakh a year)	53	118,468	159,738

Best govt colleges closed near AIR 9,536. The 2025 final round for govt Open went to 35,635. Source: Career Paathshala analysis of MCC 2026 Round 1 allotments.

Who it suits, and who should avoid it

Anaesthesiology suits doctors who stay calm in a crisis, enjoy physiology and procedures, and want a steady income soon after PG without needing capital. Karthik MD, on YouTube, also counts procedural work among the safest from AI.

It does not suit everyone. Residency is heavier than its image, often 70-90 hours a week according to our Beyond Rank handbook. The day runs on the surgeon's list, and medicolegal risk is high.

Recognition is thin too. The Instagram creator @dr.pratikgirase advises choosing it only if you are comfortable being forgotten by patients, while still being the person everyone calls when someone stops breathing.

Avoid it if you want long patient relationships or your own OPD clinic. @drsakshi.lalwani warns that some residents regret three years with little patient contact after taking the branch only as a route to something else.

Two myths worth dropping

Myth: Anaesthesia is just putting people to sleep. It is perioperative and critical care medicine. Anaesthetists are the hospital's airway and resuscitation team.

Myth: The cut-off is the rank you need. The cut-off is where seats ran out. Most Open seats went to far better ranks, and the cut-off itself shifts in later rounds.

What this means for you

Rank under about 15,000. Government MD Anaesthesia is within reach in the All India Quota, and you can be choosy about college. Compare theatre volume and ICU rotations. If you hold it as a back-up while aiming higher, read the upgrade and exit rules for Round 2 first.

Rank 15,000 to 35,000, waiting on Round 2. This is where the movement happens. Last year the government Open cut-off moved by nearly 5,800 ranks in Round 2 and reached 35,635 by the final round. Keep government MD options on your list, and place strong DNB hospitals alongside them instead of below them by default.

Rank beyond 35,000. DNB (last rank 36,391 in Round 1) and the NBEMS diploma (59,746) are the realistic All India routes, along with your state quota. For a deemed seat, do the loan maths above before you lock anything.

You really want critical care. Anaesthesia is a recognised road to DM or DrNB Critical Care and to IDCCM fellowships, and that is where long-term growth lies. Pick a seat with real ICU rotations. If what you love is OPD medicine, this is the wrong route to it.

Data status

Seat numbers are from the NMC 2026-27 matrix. Ranks are MCC 2026 Round 1 unless marked 2025. The Round 2 churn figures are 2025 data from EndorphinMD. Income figures are indicative and credited above.

Want the full Anaesthesiology report next to other branches? Open Know Your Branch, or book a counselling call before your next round of choices.

Change log: Published 14 Nov 2026