MoS Health apprises Parliament on strategies to strengthen medical education in India
New Delhi- Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel recently informed the Lok Sabha that several measures have been taken by the Government to enhance medical education facilities and improve medical standards in India. Besides this, she also informed that in the last five years, the number of medical colleges has increased along with an increase in MBBS and PG seats in the country.
The Minister said this in a written statement in Parliament in response to questions raised by Dr Sumer Singh Solanki, Ms Indu Bala Goswami and Ms Kavita Patidar regarding the strategies formulated by the Government for expanding and strengthening medical educational institutions across the country and details of the achievements made in the field of development of medical educational institutions in the last five years.
In response to these questions, MoS Health, Smt. Anupriya Patel informed that several measures/steps have been taken by the Government to enhance medical education facilities and improve medical standards in the country, which include-
1 Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for the establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district/ referral hospitals under which 157 new medical colleges have been approved, out of which 131 are already functional.
2 CSS for strengthening/ upgradation of existing State Government/ Central Government medical colleges to increase the number of MBBS (UG) and PG seats, under which support has been provided for increase of 4977 MBBS seats in 83 colleges with an approved cost of Rs. 5972.20 Cr, 4058 PG seats in phase-I in 72 colleges with an approved cost of Rs. 1498.43 cr and 4000 PG seats in phase-II in 65 colleges with an approved cost of Rs. 4478.25 Cr.
3 Under the “Upgradation of Government medical colleges by the construction of Super Specialty Blocks” component of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), a total of 75 projects have been approved, of which 69 projects are complete.
4 Under the Central Sector Scheme for setting up of new AIIMS, 22 AIIMS have been approved. Undergraduate courses have started in 19 of these.
5 DNB qualification has been recognized for appointment as teaching faculty to take care of the shortage of faculty.
6 Enhancement of age limit for appointment/ extension/ re-employment against posts of teachers/dean/principal/ director in medical colleges upto 70 years.
Further, she also informed that during the last five years, the number of medical colleges has increased from 539 in 2019-20 to 780 in 2024-25, along with MBBS seats increasing from 80,312 in 2019-20 to 1,18,137 in 2024-25 and the PG seats have also increased from 44,928 in 2019-20 to 73,157 in 2024-25.
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