Union Cabinet clears scheme to add 10,000 MBBS, PG medical seats

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on September 24 approved Phase-III of the centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) for upgrading and strengthening medical colleges and hospitals.

The plan aims to increase 5,000 postgraduate (PG) seats and 5,023 undergraduate (MBBS) seats in government medical institutions. Each seat will now have an enhanced cost ceiling of ₹1.50 crore.

This initiative will help increase the availability of specialist doctors, introduce new medical specialties, and expand overall medical education capacity in India, strengthening the healthcare system.

The total cost of both schemes is ₹15,034.50 crore for the period 2025-26 to 2028-29. The central share is ₹10,303.20 crore, while the state share is ₹4,731.30 crore.

India currently has 1,23,700 MBBS seats and 76,174 PG seats, but the number of doctors is still limited compared to the population load, particularly in areas beyond metro cities and urban pockets.

Government data shows that despite a 100 per cent increase in MD seats in the last ten years, rural India still suffers from a nearly 70 per cent shortage of specialist doctors. The shortfall with respect to sanctioned posts in rural Community Health Centres is maximum for surgeons (73 per cent), followed by physicians (69 per cent), paediatricians (68 per cent), and Obs & Gyn specialists (61 per cent).

Presenting the budget in February, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the creation of 10,000 additional medical seats this year in line with the Narendra Modi government’s promise of adding 75,000 medical seats in five years.

Earlier, the National Medical Commission relaxed the infrastructure and faculty norms for setting up new medical colleges and increasing the number of seats in undergraduate and post-graduate courses. These include recognising the DNB qualification as a faulty appointment to take care of the shortage.

Universal Health Coverage

Realising Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for 1.4 billion people critically depends on building a robust healthcare system capable of delivering timely, high-standard services at all levels—particularly in rural, tribal, and hard-to-reach communities. A robust healthcare system hinges on availability of skilled and adequate workforce.

India’s healthcare education and workforce infrastructure has witnessed significant growth in recent years, reflecting a sustained policy focus on expanding access and improving quality. As on date, India has 808 medical colleges, highest amongst the world with total intake capacity of 1,23,700 MBBS seats. In the last one decade, added over 69,352 new MBBS seats registering a growth of 127%. Similarly, during this period 43,041 PG seats were added showing an impressive growth of 143%. In spite of this notable growth in number of medical seats, in certain regions there is a need to enhance capacities to match the demand, access and affordability of healthcare.

Further, the twenty-two new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) approved under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) apart from providing tertiary healthcare services are also playing an important role in building a pool of health professionals with highest standards of medical competence with their state-of-the-art teaching learning facilities.

To expand the pool of qualified faculty, new Medical Institution (Qualifications of Faculty) Regulations 2025 have been issued by adopting a more inclusive and competency-based approach to faculty eligibility and recruitment. These changes aim to address the growing requirement of teaching personnel, and meeting the academic and professional standards.

To augment the availability of qualified human resource in health, MoH&FW is administering these schemes and their further extension underscores the Government’s commitment of creating capacity for production of more medical professionals, strengthening human resources for health, and improving access to quality healthcare services for the people of India.