75 New Medical Colleges to be added in 2020-21: Check Details
The cabinet lead by the Prime Minister on economic affairs approved the setting up of 75 new medical colleges. This step has been taken in hopes to raise the condition of the medical infrastructure and resources. The government has agreed to the plan of setting up 75 new medical colleges attached to district or referral hospitals by 2020-21. Under phase three of a centrally sponsored scheme, almost 15,700 seats in MBBS will be added by the setting up of the medical colleges, said the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). This will lead to a hike in the number of doctors, the care in government hospitals and better utilisation of district hospital facilities.
An investment of about Rs. 24,000 crore has been set for the setting up of the colleges. This set up has been approved and has been implemented right after the Medical Commission Bill, or NMC Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha. Alongside, making changes in the current conditions of medical education, the bill will also help in increasing the number of existing medical colleges in the country. The changes are being implemented in areas which are under-served and have no medical colleges or ones that have at least 200 beds. Preference will be given to hospitals with 300 beds.
The government had approved setting up of 58 colleges in phase I. Under phase II, it gave approval for another 24 colleges to be set up, other than the 75 approved in phase III. Thirty-nine colleges from phase I are already functioning while others are hoped to function by 2020-21. The growth in the number of MBBS seats is also due to the need for better, affordable medical education and for improvement in the health sector of the country.
Seventy-six thousand seats are currently available for MBBS course in the country, while over 14 lakh students sit for the medical entrance exam like NEET every year. The great difference between the figures is hoped to be removed by the addition of the new medical colleges as the number of seat increases. It is hoped that it will help to tackle the deficit of doctors in our country against the huge population.
Other than seeing a rise in the number of doctors, it will also provide better medical facilities in underprivileged areas to counter the huge deficit of health care professionals in India, improvement in tertiary care in government hospitals and existing infrastructure will be used properly.
While the number of medical seats is increasing, students will still be required to give NEET to qualify for MBBS. NEET is an examination conducted by the NTA set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). It is required for admission to MBBS/BDS courses and other undergraduate medical courses in approved/recognised Medical/Dental & other Colleges/ Institutes in India. Students interested in the medical field can take the exam to apply to medical colleges.
