NEW DELHI: The number of MBBS seats in the country is all set to cross the 1-lakh mark with the Centre approving 50 new medical colleges (30 government and 20 private) this year besides adding nearly 2,000 seats in existing colleges.
The newly approved medical colleges are spread across states, with 13 colleges for Telangana, followed by five each in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Four new medical colleges have been approved for Maharashtra and three each for Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Two colleges each have been approved for West Bengal, Odisha, and Jammu & Kashmir and one each for UP, Madhya Pradesh and Nagaland, according to data shared by the health ministry sources.
Senior officials in the ministry said these colleges will add 6,200 MBBS seats in the country while some colleges also received approval to add seats. Taken together, the actual increase in MBBS seats in the country will be 8,195. “With this, the total number of medical colleges in India has reached 702 and the number of MBBS seats stands at 1,07,658,” said an official.
“The government is proactively working to increase MBBS seats to meet the rising demand for doctors in the country. Also, this would help ensure that children aspiring for medical education do not have to go abroad,” the official said.
In 2014, there were close to 53,000 MBBS seats in the country. Officials said the number has doubled in the last eight years. The government has taken several steps for expansion of medical education in the country which includes a central scheme for strengthening or upgrading existing medical colleges to increase MBBS seats, said an official.
The government had, in response to a question raised in the winter session of Parliament, said that the number of post graduate seats have also doubled since 2014.
The newly approved medical colleges are spread across states, with 13 colleges for Telangana, followed by five each in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Four new medical colleges have been approved for Maharashtra and three each for Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Two colleges each have been approved for West Bengal, Odisha, and Jammu & Kashmir and one each for UP, Madhya Pradesh and Nagaland, according to data shared by the health ministry sources.
Senior officials in the ministry said these colleges will add 6,200 MBBS seats in the country while some colleges also received approval to add seats. Taken together, the actual increase in MBBS seats in the country will be 8,195. “With this, the total number of medical colleges in India has reached 702 and the number of MBBS seats stands at 1,07,658,” said an official.
“The government is proactively working to increase MBBS seats to meet the rising demand for doctors in the country. Also, this would help ensure that children aspiring for medical education do not have to go abroad,” the official said.
In 2014, there were close to 53,000 MBBS seats in the country. Officials said the number has doubled in the last eight years. The government has taken several steps for expansion of medical education in the country which includes a central scheme for strengthening or upgrading existing medical colleges to increase MBBS seats, said an official.
The government had, in response to a question raised in the winter session of Parliament, said that the number of post graduate seats have also doubled since 2014.
