Govt to add 10,023 new medical seats in government colleges over next three years

The Union Cabinet approved the third phase of a major medical education expansion on Sept 24, aiming to add 5,023 MBBS seats and 5,000 postgraduate seats in existing government medical colleges over the next three years. The scheme will be implemented at a total cost of ₹15,034 crore.

This move aligns with the government’s broader target of creating 75,000 new medical seats over five years, a plan highlighted by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in this year’s budget.

Under the scheme’s earlier phases, the government supported the addition of 4,977 MBBS seats in 83 colleges at a cost of ₹5,972 crore, along with 4,058 PG seats in 72 colleges for ₹1,498 crore.

The second phase added 4,000 seats in 65 colleges with a budget of ₹4,478 crore.

The government has introduced several initiatives to expand medical education, including establishing new medical colleges alongside existing district hospitals, increasing seats in current colleges, and setting up new AIIMS institutions.

At present, India has approximately 1.2 lakh MBBS seats and 74,306 PG medical seats, nearly double the 51,328 MBBS and 31,185 PG seats available in 2014.

With medicine remaining one of the most sought-after professions, and over 20 lakh students appearing for the NEET exam annually, the government has prioritized increasing domestic capacity to discourage students from studying abroad.

The push to retain students in India gained urgency following challenges faced by medical graduates studying overseas.

Students in China struggled to complete courses during the pandemic, the Philippines’ programs were not recognized in India, and conflicts in Ukraine disrupted education.

However, the rapid increase in seats has presented challenges. Many colleges face faculty shortages, prompting the National Medical Commission to monitor attendance through Aadhaar-based biometric systems and live video feeds to address ghost faculty issues.

The government also relaxed rules, allowing DNB-qualified doctors to join as faculty and raising the upper age limit for teaching appointments.

Another concern is the high cost of seats in private medical colleges.

In 2022, the NMC attempted to regulate fees for private institutions, but implementation has not yet been successful.