This Article is From Feb 09, 2018

Number Of Medical Seats Set To Increase As Cabinet Approves Reforms In Medical Education

The Union Cabinet yesterday gave approval for establishment of 24 additional Government Medical Colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals by 2021-22.

Number Of Medical Seats Set To Increase As Cabinet Approves Reforms In Medical Education

The Cabinet also gave approval for increase of 10,000 MBBS seats by 2020-21 and 8058 PG seats by 2020-21.

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet yesterday gave approval for establishment of 24 additional Government Medical Colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals by 2021-22. These additional medical colleges will come up in identified underserved areas in the country. In addition to that, the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved continuation and completion of scheme for setting up of 112 Auxiliary Nursing and Midwifery Schools (ANM) and 136 General Nursing Midwifery (GNM) schools by 2019-20 in the underserved areas of the country.

According to a Ministry of Health and Family Welfare statement, to increase the availability of qualified doctors, the Cabinet also gave approval for increase of 10,000 MBBS seats by 2020-21 and 8058 PG seats by 2020-21. The ministry also stated that the scheme on establishment of new medical colleges (58+24) would lead to addition of another 8200 MBBS seats in the country. 



The government claimed that the steps taken by the government to increase the number of qualified doctors in the country, has already added nearly 13,000 MBBS seats and 7,000 PG medical since 2014-15.

The undergraduate seats in the government medical colleges in the country is likely to increase to 85,525 while postgraduate seats will go up to 46,558 by 2020-21, a health ministry source told PTI today.

According to PTI sources, the number of undergraduate seats in government medical colleges before 2014-15 was 52,000 while the corresponding number for PG seats was 30,000.

"With approval of 24 new Government Medical Colleges, the Government has ensured setting up of at least one medical college for every 3 Parliamentary Constituencies and at least one Government Medical College in every State of the country," said the statement. 

For the schemes approved yesterday to increase the availability of health care infrastructure and manpower, Cabinet sanctioned for expenditure of Rs. 14,930.92 crore as Central share during the 14th Finance Commission period i.e. up to 2019-20.  The balance Central share of Rs. 5,658 crore will be released after 2019-20.

"The Cabinet decision today aims to create additional manpower especially focussing on increasing government seats in the under-served or un-served areas to make medical education more affordable for general public, bridge the provider-patient ratio to attain Sustainable Development Goals and meet WHO standards," Health Ministry said yesterday.

Establishment of 24 additional Government Medical Colleges was proposed by Finance Minister Arun Jailtey in his government last full Budget presentation on February 1, 2018.

(With Inputs from PTI)

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