The central government has announced a significant increase in medical education seats across the country. In the current academic year, 44 new medical colleges have been launched, and along with these new institutions and several existing ones, approximately 12,000 MBBS seats have been added nationwide.
Additionally, around 3,500 postgraduate MD-MS seats have been increased. Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel shared this information in Parliament.
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Responding to a question raised by BJP MP from Madhya Pradesh, Sumitra Valmiki, in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Health stated that according to the National Medical Commission (NMC), while 74 new medical colleges were approved last academic year, the NMC has cleared 44 new colleges this year.
Among these, West Bengal has received approval for three new medical colleges, the same number as last year. In the current academic year, the expansion of MBBS seats in existing colleges has been significantly higher than in the previous year. While 8,641 MBBS seats were added across the country last year, this year the number has increased to 11,732.
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However, compared to the postgraduate MD-MS seats added last year (4,188), the number of seats added this year (3,393) is relatively lower. This year, the number of medical colleges has increased across 23 states and union territories. Rajasthan has recorded the highest increase with six new colleges, followed by Maharashtra (five) and Madhya Pradesh (four). Next on the list are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Kerala, each receiving approval for three colleges. New colleges have also been established in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, and Jharkhand.
According to central health officials, the government’s long-term objective is to continuously expand medical education in order to address the shortage of general and specialist doctors in the coming years.
The aim is to strengthen healthcare delivery in rural and remote regions, ensure affordable and accessible treatment for the general population, and boost the scope of medical research. At the same time, maintaining the quality of medical education remains a key challenge for both the central and state governments.
