More PG medical seats, less clinical exposure? Parliamentary committee flags quality concerns

New Delhi: Concerned over the rapid growth in PG medical seats without adequate clinical exposure and proper training, a Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recommended that the expansion of undergraduate and postgraduate seats should be undertaken only after ensuring quality education, adequate training and sufficient clinical exposure.

In its 176th report on 'Affordability and Accessibility of Healthcare facilities in Public and Private Sector' before the Parliament on August 7, 2026, the Department-related Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare opined that the recent Cabinet approval adding over 10,000 new medical and PG seats (scaling to 75,000 over five years) is a right step toward correcting the doctor-population ratio.

However, the panel cautioned that increasing the number of seats alone would not be enough to address the country's healthcare needs. According to the Committee, the expansion must be supported by adequate infrastructure, proper training and sufficient opportunities for students and residents to gain clinical experience.

Also read- India to get over 10,000 MBBS, PG medical seats by 2028-29

"The Committee is, however, concerned to note that the rapid expansion of PG medical seats without adequate clinical exposure and proper training is severely diluting the quality of health care standards. The Committee recommends that the expansion of undergraduate and postgraduate seats should be done only after ensuring quality education, adequate training and clinical exposure," the panel stated. 

Medical Dialogues had reported in September 2025 that the Union Cabinet approved Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme to add over 10,000 new medical seats, including 5023 MBBS and 5000 PG medical seats, in government-run medical institutes, by 2028-29. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the nation on Independence Day on August 15, 2024, promised to create 75,000 more medical seats over the next five years.

The Committee also highlighted the need to strengthen medical education through initiatives such as the mandatory Family Adoption Programme, District Residency Programme (DRP) and Competency-Based Medical Education.

"Innovations like the mandatory Family Adoption Programme, the District Residency Programme (DRP), and Competency-Based Medical Education reflect a forward-looking academic vision. The Committee believes that while primary care is expanding, super-speciality care remains geographically concentrated, necessitating further decentralisation," the panel noted.

To address this imbalance, the Committee recommended that, in addition to the 22 approved AIIMS, the Government should identify geographic clusters and develop existing state medical colleges to a standard comparable with premier medical institutions.

Along with this, the panel also focused on the academic curriculum, stating that it must be urgently modernized.

The report added, "Undergraduate and postgraduate curricula should be immediately updated to include strengthened, mandatory modules on respiratory medicine, and dedicated departments for endovascular/vascular surgery must be established. Finally, the Committee recommends increased R&D funding aimed at indigenizing specialized medical devices and vascular hardware to reduce import dependencies."

Also read- 75,000 new medical seats in next 5 years: PM Modi