There has been an increase of 110 per cent in medical seats in the country, union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha on Friday. He said that since 2014, MBBS seats have increased from 51,348 to 1,07,948.
Responding to a query raised by AIUDF MP from Assam’s Dhubri M Badruddin Ajmal, Mandaviya said that there is also an increase of 117 per cent in postgraduate seats from 31,185 before 2014 to 67,802 now.
“The Government has increased (the) number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats. There is an increase of 82 per cent in medical colleges from 387 before 2014 to 704 as of now. Further, there is an increase of 110 per cent in MBBS seats from 51,348 before 2014 to 1,07,948 as of now, there is also an increase of 117 per cent in PG seats from 31,185 before 2014 to 67,802 as of now,” Mandaviya said in his reply.
The number of government medical colleges went up from 253 in 2018-19 to 355 in 2022-23. In 2019-20, there were 279 colleges, which rose to 289 in 2020-21 and further on to 322 in 2021-22. In these government colleges, there are 56,283 MBBS seats while an additional 51,665 MBBS seats are available for students in private medical colleges for the 2023-24 academic year, the ministry said.
The number of private medical colleges in India also increased from 248 in 2018-19 to 260 in 2019-20, and then went further up to 269 in 2020-21, 290 in 2021-22 and 293 in 2022-23.
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