The government of India has approved the setting up of 75 new government medical colleges in the country. This move is a part of the third phase of the ongoing centrally sponsored scheme. Previously, in Phases I and II, the government had approved the setting up of 58 and 24 new government medical colleges respectively. Of the 58 colleges in Phase I, 39 are already functional.
According to the government notification, the new government medical colleges will be set up in the under-served regions of the country and will be attached to the existing district/referral hospitals with at least 200 beds. The preference, however, will be given to Aspirational Districts and District Hospitals with 300 beds.
Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar confirmed that a budget of INR 24,375 crore has been allotted for this project. He added that this medical expansion in India is the biggest ever expansion in the medical industry of any country across the globe.
Over the last 5 years, the government has approved 82 new government medical colleges in two separate phases of 58 and 24 colleges respectively. The 82 new establishments aim to set up 45,000 additional seats for MBBS and Post Graduate courses in medicine. The new 75 colleges, on the other hand, will be setting up 15,700 more MBBS seats in the next 3 years, by 2022.
The expansion of the medical colleges to the under-served regions of the country is being undertaken to improve the availability of medical education in the areas while at the same time utilizing the existing infrastructure of the district hospitals. It will further enhance both the availability and accessibility of healthcare to areas where it is needed the most. The Government of India aims to harness talent and improve the doctor-patient ratio in the country through this medical expansion.
