Govt Working On Plan To Increase Total UG Medical Seats From 82,500 To A Lakh By Next Year

In a big boost for the healthcare and medical sectors, the National Medical Council (NMC) is working out a plan to increase the total number of undergraduate medical seats from 82,500 to a lakh by next year, reports Times of India.

The subject was discussed at a recent meeting chaired by Union Health Secretary. NMC operates under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) which is headed by Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Dr Aruna Vanikar, who is the president of the undergraduate medical education board of the NMC said, "The process for adding new medical colleges and increasing seats for MBBS is presently on."

The Government in Gujarat is also said to be considering the option of running medical colleges in two shifts to increase the number of students that can be enrolled on MBBS programmes. A similar is also being worked out in different parts of the country.

Presently, there are nearly 540 medical colleges in the country that offer MBBS courses. Of these, 49 per cent are Government-run, while the rest are self-financed and on a public-private-partnership (PPP) basis.