157 New-Medical Colleges Approved; 108 are Already Functional

New-Medical Colleges: Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharati Praveen Pawar said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha that under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), 157 government medical colleges have been approved in three different phases, of which 108 are already operational.

Pawar claimed that the government has increased the number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats. According to data provided by the government, there has been an 82 per cent increase in colleges, from 387 before 2014 to 706 now. Moreover, MBBS seats have increased by 112 per cent from 51,348 before 2014 to 1,08,848 now.

In the first phase, the government is opening 58 government medical colleges in 20 states/UTs, in the second phase, 24 colleges in eight states and in the third phase, 75 colleges in 18 states.

This data comes shortly after Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya claimed in October that the number of medical colleges in the country has doubled in the last nine years.

 In the last nine years, the country has seen a doubling in the number of colleges. A total of 1,70,000 health and wellness centers have been set up across India. During his speech at NEIGRIHMS, Shillong, he mentioned that a critical care unit will be established in each district across the nation.

While the minister claimed that the number of MBBS seats in the country has increased from 50,000 in 2014 to 1,07,000 so far, Pawar today said the seats have now increased to 1,08,848.

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