New Delhi: The Ministry of Health has agreed to consider applications on a fast-track basis for setting up medical colleges across the country. "We appealed to renowned hospitals to come forward and establish medical colleges. Following evaluation and inspection they will be granted permission soon," disclosed Minister for Health Mansukh Mandaviya while speaking to ETV Bharat in New Delhi on Monday.
Mandaviya recently met representatives of 60 to 63 hospitals following which 15 to 20 have already applied to setting up medical colleges. Some of the prominent medical colleges that came for the meeting include Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute, Apollo Hospital, Sathya Sai Baba Hospital, Ma Anandamayi Hospital, Medanta Hospital and Breach Candy Hospital among others.
Following the involvement of such stakeholders, it is expected that about 1,500 additional medical seats will be available this year.
"We intend to make our country number one medical education and wanted to make studying medicine affordable for all," said Mandaviya highlighting the fact that every year many students are going abroad to pursue medicine as they are not enough medical seats in the colleges.
The move initiated by the Health Ministry assumes significance following the fact that hundreds of medical students studying abroad left in the lurch following the Russia-the Ukraine conflict. According to the latest government statistics, there are 654 medical colleges in the country at present.
Furthermore, there has been a 94 percent rise in the number of MBBS seats, from 51,348 to 99,763, and a 107 per cent increase in the number of postgraduate seats, from 31,185 before 2014 to 64,559 now. Significantly, the Centre has also initiated measures like a centrally sponsored programme for the establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading the district and referral hospitals. As per National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the National Medical Commission as of June 2022.
