Medical Colleges Rose From 387 In 2014 To 780 Now: Health Ministry To Rajya Sabha | Education and Career News
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Nadda noted that public health is a state subject, and state governments are responsible for engaging available medical professionals in various healthcare setups.
News18
Since 2014, the number of medical colleges has increased from 387 to 780, undergraduate seats have risen from 51,348 to 1,15,900, and postgraduate seats have grown from 31,185 to 74,306, as Union Health Minister J P Nadda informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
Answering a question, Nadda mentioned the government’s efforts to increase the number of medical colleges and both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) seats.
Currently, there are 13,86,157 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 registered practitioners in the AYUSH system of medicine. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a doctor-to-population ratio of 1:1000.
“Assuming that 80 percent of registered practitioners in both the allopathic and AYUSH systems are available, the estimated doctor-population ratio in the country is 1:811,” Nadda said.
Nadda noted that public health is a state subject, and state governments are responsible for engaging available medical professionals in various healthcare setups.
To bridge healthcare delivery gaps, the government supports states and UTs through various central sector and centrally sponsored schemes/programmes. This support includes financial assistance, capacity building, provision of essential medicines, diagnostics, teleconsultation services, etc., to ensure effective and accessible primary healthcare.
The Family Adoption Programme (FAP) has been integrated into the MBBS curriculum to provide equitable healthcare access to rural populations. The FAP involves medical colleges adopting villages and MBBS students adopting families within these villages. This enables regular follow-ups for vaccination, growth monitoring, menstrual hygiene, Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation, healthy lifestyle practices, nutrition, vector control, and medication adherence, according to the minister.
It also helps educate families about ongoing government health programmes.
Additionally, the District Residency Programme (DRP), notified by the National Medical Commission (NMC), mandates a compulsory three-month posting and training of PG medical students at district hospitals as part of the course curriculum. The DRP strengthens healthcare delivery in rural and underserved areas.
Since its launch in 2018, 1,78,154 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) have been established as of July 15 by transforming existing Sub-Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to provide comprehensive primary healthcare closer to people’s homes.
Services have expanded from basic maternal and child care to twelve comprehensive healthcare packages. With these reforms, annual footfall increased from 13.49 crore in the financial year 2019-20 to 128.08 crore in 2024-25.
Over 117 crore individuals have been screened for hypertension, diabetes, oral, breast, and cervical cancers. The availability of medicines at AAMs and teleconsultations with specialists have enhanced accessibility, reduced costs, and addressed provider shortages, Nadda stated.
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