84,649 MBBS seats in 562 Medical Colleges in India as per NMC data: Minister

The information surfaced during a recent Lok Sabha session wherein the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey presented the data on the number of MBBS seats and medical colleges in India.

According to the information provided by the apex medical regulator, National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 84,649 MBBS seats in 562 Medical Colleges in the country.

The maximum number of MBBS seats are in the state of Karnataka with 9445 seats across 61 medical colleges including 19 government medical colleges (GMCs) and 42 private institutes.

Maharashtra comes second with 9180 MBBS seats across 60 medical colleges including 26 GMC and 34 private based. Tamil Nadu ranks third in the country with the maximum number of MBBS seats having a total of 8025 MBBS seats across 53 medical colleges, 26 GMC, 27 private.

Uttar Pradesh follows the list with 7975 MBBS seats across 57 medical colleges including 26 GMC and 31 private institutes.

Gujarat comes fifth with 5700 MBBS seats in 30 medical colleges, 13 of which are private and 17 GMCs.

Andhra Pradesh is not too far behind with 5317 MBBS seats. The seats are divided among 31 medical colleges in the state with 13 GMCs and 18 in the private sector.

Telangana is having 5265 MBBS seats for medical students this year in 34 medical colleges including 11 state-run GMCs and 23 private-run.

Kerala having the same number of total medical colleges as Andhra Pradesh; has recorded to have 7305 MBBS seats across 10 GMCs and 21 private medical institutes.

Rajasthan comes next with 4255 MBBS seats in 24 medical colleges including 16 GMCs and only 8 private based.

West Bengal has over 26 medical colleges including 20 GMCs, all with an intake capacity of 4025 MBBS seats.

The state of Madhya Pradesh has an intake capacity of 3885 MBBS seats in 23 medical colleges including 9 private and 14 government medical colleges.

Then, comes the state of Bihar with 2165 MBBS seats in 18 medical colleges, 11 of which are GMCs. Odisha follows with 1950 MBBS seats in 12 medical institutes in the state with 8 GMCs and 4 private.

With 1785 MBBS seats, Haryana has 12 medical colleges including 7 private-run institutes. Puducherry with 9 medical colleges including 7 private and 2 GMCs has 1530 MBBS seats.

Chhattisgarh comes next with 1345 MBBS seats in 10 medical colleges including only 3 in the private sector and 7 GMCs.

Delhi is recorded to have only 1315 MBBS seats across 10 medical colleges including 8 GMCs and 2 private institutes. Punjab follows with 1225 MBBS seats in 11 medical institutes, 4 GMCs and 7 private.

The list comes down with the state of Jammu and Kashmir with 9 medical colleges having an intake capacity of 1100 MBBS seats. Assam has 1000 MBBS seats in 8 GMCs.

Jharkhand has 880 MBBS seats in 8 medical colleges of which only 1 institute is reported to be in the private sector. Himachal Pradesh had 870 MBBS seats in 7 medical colleges including 6 GMCs.

Uttrakhand has 6 medical colleges with an intake capacity of 850 MBBS seats in 2 private and 4 government-run institutes.

Tripura and Manipur, each have 225 MBBS seats in 2 medical colleges. Goa has 180 MBBS seats in only 1 medical college in the state. Dadar and Nagar Haveli has 177 MBBS seats in 1 medical institute as well.

Chandigarh, Mizoram and Andaman and Nicobar islands, each have only 1 medical college for its students with 100 MBBS seats in their respective GMCs.

The states of Sikkim, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have each 50 MBBS seats in 1 medical college.

Nagaland has no medical college for its students as of now.

The Health Minister further presented the data of the Government and private medical colleges set up in the country during each of the last five years:

On the matter of whether the MBBS seats of existing medical colleges of various States are being curbed, particularly in Maharashtra, the MoS Health stated that as informed by NMC, it is not curtailing MBBS seats, except in cases where colleges have nonavailability of a requisite number of faculty/residents, infrastructural facilities, clinical material, etc as per prescribed Regulations.

Apprising on the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to fulfill the requirement of doctors as per the population in the country, the minister replied that the Central Government has taken several steps to increase the number of medical seats in the country. These include:

i. Centrally Sponsored Scheme - "Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals" for the establishment of the medical college by upgrading the district hospitals in districts which do not have either a government or a private medical college.

ii. Centrally Sponsored Scheme - Strengthening/ up-gradation of existing State Government/Central Government Medical Colleges to increase MBBS and PG seats.

iii. Minimum Standard Requirements for setting up of Medical College have been rationalized in terms of land, faculty, staff, bed strength, equipment, and other infrastructure.

iv. Enhancement of maximum intake capacity at MBBS level from 150 to 250.

v. DNB qualification has been equated with the corresponding MD/MS and DM/M.Ch takes care of the shortage of faculty.

vi. Enhancement of age limit for appointment/ extension/ re-employment against posts of teachers/dean/principal/ director in medical colleges upto 70 years.

vii. The teacher-student ratio has been rationalized to increase in the number of PG seats.

viii. By amending the regulations, it has been made mandatory for all medical colleges to start PG courses within 3 years from the date of their MBBS recognition /continuation of recognition.

ix. Colleges are allowed to apply for PG courses in clinical subjects at the time of 4th renewal. It will serve to advance the process for starting PG courses by more than 1 year.

x. Provision has been made in the Regulations to offer less number of seats to the applicant medical college, in case, it falls short of minimum prescribed requirements of applied intake to avoid wastage of human resources.

xi. A Consortium (a group of 2 or up to 4 private organizations) has been allowed to establish a medical college.

xii. To promote the establishment of medical colleges in PPP mode, the Viability Gap Funding Scheme has been launched.