India Doubles Medical Colleges to 819; 75,000 More Seats Planned

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said that India has witnessed a major expansion in its medical education infrastructure over the past 11 years, with the number of medical colleges rising from 387 to 819.

Addressing the 50th Annual Convocation Ceremony of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, Nadda said that the increase in institutions has been accompanied by a significant rise in medical seats. The number of undergraduate seats has gone up from 51,000 to 1.29 lakh, while postgraduate seats have grown from 31,000 to 78,000 during this period.

The minister noted that this growth reflects the government’s commitment to improving access to medical education and strengthening the healthcare system across the country. He also announced that an additional 75,000 seats are expected to be added at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels over the next five years, further expanding opportunities for medical aspirants and boosting the availability of trained healthcare professionals nationwide.