India has seen a substantial expansion in its medical education sector, with a 102 per cent increase in medical colleges and a 130 per cent rise in MBBS seats since 2014, as shared by Union Health Minister JP Nadda reported in the Lok Sabha last week.
India now has 780 medical colleges, a sharp rise from just 387 in 2014, said a report by India Today.
The number of MBBS seats has similarly soared, growing from 51,348 in 2014 to 1,18,137 in 2024. Additionally, postgraduate (PG) seats have also witnessed a significant increase, rising by 135 per cent from 31,185 in 2014 to 73,157 in 2024.
State-level advancements
Several states have made impressive strides in expanding their medical education infrastructure.
Uttar Pradesh, for example, now leads the country with 86 medical colleges, up from 30 in 2014. The state has also expanded its MBBS seats from 3,749 to 12,425.
Other states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan have also experienced considerable growth in the number of medical colleges. Maharashtra increased its medical colleges from 44 to 80, while Rajasthan grew from 10 to 43.
Telangana, which had no medical colleges in 2013-14, now has 65 colleges and 9,040 MBBS seats, while Tamil Nadu has added over 5,800 MBBS seats, reaching a total of 12,050.
Smaller states like Nagaland and Mizoram have also opened their first medical colleges, further improving access to medical education across the country.
Government initiatives
The government has undertaken several initiatives to enhance medical education, including upgrading district hospitals into medical colleges and establishing new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) campuses. Of the 157 new medical colleges approved, 131 are already functional. Additionally, 19 of the 22 new AIIMS institutions have started undergraduate courses, added India Today in its report.
To address faculty shortages, the government has also taken steps such as recognising Diplomate of National Board (DNB) qualifications and extending the retirement age for faculty members to 70 years.