Overview
- In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the Health Ministry reported 48,563 additional MBBS seats and 29,080 more PG seats between AY 2020–21 and 2025–26, with the largest single-year increases recorded in 2025–26.
- The Centre approved 10,023 further seats under Centrally Sponsored Schemes for FY 2025–26 to 2028–29 to expand capacity in government medical colleges.
- Officials said higher intake is improving doctor–population ratios and increasing domestic access to medical education, which has reduced students’ dependence on studying abroad.
- To uphold quality during expansion, the National Medical Commission has issued MSR, GMER 2023, MSMER 2023 and the CBME Curriculum Guidelines 2024.
- A Parliamentary Standing Committee flagged persistent gaps, highlighting uneven state-wise distribution, rising costs and vacant MBBS seats in recent years, including 2,849 in 2024–25 and over 4,100 in 2022–23.