Health ministry reports 30% increase in number of functional medical colleges in five years

New Delhi, July 30, 2022:

Even as the Central Government is supporting setting up of around 157 more medical colleges under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), there has been an increase of 30 per cent in the number of medical colleges and 41 per cent growth in number of MBBS seats available in the country in the last five years.

According to data from the ministry of health and family welfare, during the year 2016-17, there were a total of 472 medical colleges, which has witnessed an increase of 30 per cent to 612 colleges during the year 2021-22. The number of MBBS seats has gone up 41 per cent from 65,183 seats to 91,927 seats in 2021-22, inching up to the mark of 1,00,000 MBBS seats across the country.

The highest number of colleges and MBBS seats is in the State of Tamil Nadu, with around 70 colleges and 10,725 seats. The State had 6,615 MBBS seats in 49 colleges during 2016-17.

Karnataka is the only other state, according to the data, which has more than 10,000 seats. The State has 10,145 seats in 63 colleges during the year 2021-22. The State had 8,245 seats in 56 colleges during 2016-17.

Uttar Pradesh has the second highest number of colleges with 67 colleges during 2021-22 (45 in 2016-17), and the State has around 9,053 MBBS seats (6,049 seats in 2016-17). Maharashtra has 9,895 seats in 62 colleges as against 7120 seats in 50 colleges during 2016-17.

States such as Arunachal Pradesh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Mizoram, which did not have any medical college back in 2016-17, have set up one college each, with 50 seats, 150 seats and 100 seats respectively.

Three States - Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Telangana - have around 5,000 MBBS seats available each in the year 2021-22. Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and West Bengal have more than 4,000 MBBS seats available in the State during the period.

The ministry of health & family welfare administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for ‘Establishment of new Medical Colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals’ with preference to underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing government or private medical college. Under the Scheme, 157 new medical colleges have been approved in three phases and 72 are already functional, said Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, minister of state in the ministry of health and family welfare, recently in the Lok Sabha.

The minister added that no proposal was received from the state government of Odisha for establishment of a medical college at Rayagada district. As per the Scheme guidelines, the state government is the implementing agency and the planning, execution and commissioning of the project is done by the state governments. Pharmabiz