Gujarat to add 3 new medical colleges with 350 MBBS seats
Gujarat: In a major expansion of medical education, three new medical colleges are likely to be established in Gujarat soon.
These three new medical colleges will be located in Ahmedabad, Mehsana, and Surat. The Gujarat government has issued Essentiality Certificates for the proposed colleges, paving the way for approval from the National Medical Commission (NMC).
According to the Ahmedabad Mirror news report, sources in the Gandhinagar health department said that two of the proposed institutions will be self-financed medical colleges: one in Ahmedabad and the other in Mehsana. The third will be established at the ESIC hospital in Surat, under the central government.
Once the NMC inspection is complete and approvals are granted, the colleges can begin operations from the upcoming academic session. In addition, if all three colleges receive final approval, Gujarat will gain approximately 350 additional MBBS seats. The colleges in Ahmedabad and Mehsana are expected to have 150 seats each, while the ESIC Medical College in Surat will contribute 50 seats.
Meanwhile, speaking to Ahmedabad Mirror, senior officials from the health department stated that the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), Gandhinagar, currently operates six medical colleges, while 13 are run under the Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS).
Health department sources said that the Ahmedabad College will establish a hospital in Kathwada under the name of Sardar Patel Medical College and Research Centre. The Mehsana college will be established in Vadasma as Shri Satsangi Medical College and Research Centre, while the Surat facility will be operated by the ESIC Hospital.
Speaking about the process, an official explained that applications to the NMC require an Essentiality Certificate from the state government, the deadline for which was February 3rd this year. However, the Essentiality Certificates for all three proposed colleges had already been issued before the deadline.
Currently, Gujarat has approximately 43 medical colleges, including government and self-financed institutions, offering around 6,500 MBBS seats across the state. Therefore, the addition of three more institutions is expected to further strengthen Gujarat's position as a major hub for medical education.
