Medical colleges double since 2014; MBBS seats cross 1.39 lakh, government tells Parliament

India has more than doubled the number of medical colleges over the past decade, significantly expanding opportunities for medical education and aiming to improve healthcare access, particularly in underserved regions.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said the number of medical colleges has increased from 387 in 2014 to 844 at present. During the same period, undergraduate MBBS seats have risen from 51,348 to 1,39,489, while postgraduate medical seats have nearly tripled from 31,185 to 86,360.

The minister said the expansion of medical colleges, particularly in remote and underserved areas, is expected to improve the availability of doctors and strengthen healthcare delivery across the country.

Family Adoption Programme

Patel also highlighted the Family Adoption Programme (FAP), which has been incorporated into the MBBS curriculum by the National Medical Commission (NMC). Under the initiative, medical colleges adopt villages, while MBBS students are assigned families within those villages as part of their training.

MUST READ: Dharmendra Pradhan to not resign, issues with NTA to be resolved: Govt sources

Students regularly engage with these families to monitor vaccination, child growth, menstrual hygiene, nutrition, iron and folic acid supplementation, healthy lifestyle practices, vector-borne disease prevention and medication adherence. The programme aims to provide medical students with early exposure to community healthcare while strengthening preventive health services at the grassroots level.

District Residency Programme

The minister said the NMC has also introduced the District Residency Programme (DRP), under which postgraduate medical students must complete a three-month posting at district hospitals. The initiative is intended to expose young doctors to healthcare delivery in rural and underserved regions while improving specialist services at district-level facilities.

MUST READ: 'Ad hocism has troubled us for years': Amid CJP protest, Supreme Court to monitor NEET paper leak reforms

Ayushman Arogya Mandirs show positive outcomes

Responding to another question on the performance of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Patel cited an evaluation commissioned by NITI Aayog, which found encouraging improvements in primary healthcare services.

According to the study, the centres have witnessed better infrastructure, higher community footfall and expanded access to comprehensive primary healthcare. Services for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), outpatient care, free medicines and diagnostic facilities have also improved.

The minister said the deployment of Community Health Officers (CHOs) has strengthened frontline healthcare, while digital health platforms such as e-Sanjeevani have expanded access to specialist consultations, particularly in remote areas.

ALSO READ: PM Modi in video message: ‘Bill against paper leaks to be introduced in Parliament, passed as early as possible’

Patel added that under the National Health Mission (NHM), health programmes are regularly monitored through review meetings, field visits, service delivery benchmarks and annual Common Review Missions. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also introduced integrated training modules, expanded the Swasth Bharat Portal to improve digital interoperability, strengthened drug supply management through the Drugs and Vaccine Distribution Management System, revised guidelines for community health committees and introduced incentives at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs to improve retention of healthcare personnel.

(With PTI inputs)