The government has given nod to 157 new medical colleges in India since 2014 and has invested Rs 17,691.08 crore on these projects, the Union health ministry said. On completion, nearly 16,000 undergraduate medical seats would be added, it said.”Of these, 6,500 seats have already been created with the functioning of 64 new medical colleges. Under the centrally sponsored schemes (CSS), the central government has also provided about Rs 2,451.1 crore for upgradation of existing state government or central government medical colleges to increase MBBS seats in the country,” the ministry said in a statement.The government of India has relentlessly pursued the aim of cultivating more human resources through centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) that seek to address not only the issues of equity in medical education but also geographic disparity in the availability of medical care.”Medical colleges are established in districts, which do not have either a government or a private medical college. Preference is given to underserved/backward/aspirational districts. Under three phases of the scheme, 157 new medical colleges have been approved, out of which 63 medical colleges are already functional. Of the 157 new colleges that are being established under the CSS, 39 are being set up in aspirational districts,” the ministry said.With the objective of creating 10,000 MBBS seats in government colleges in the country, the health ministry said it is implementing the CSS for up-gradation of existing state government or central government medical colleges to increase MBBS seats.The funding pattern is 90:10 by central and state governments, respectively, for northeastern states and special category states and 60:40 for other states with the upper ceiling cost pegged at Rs 1.20 crore per seat. A total of 48 colleges in 15 states have been approved for increase of 3,325 seats with Rs 6719.11 crore released as central share.
