CCEA nod for establishment of Medical colleges for deficient states

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 2 January 2014 approved the proposal for establishment of 58 new medical colleges by upgradation of existing district hospitals in deficient states. The CCEA has approved a proposal of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to set up the new medical colleges attached with the districts in existence or referral hospitals.

At present, the country has about 50000 MBBS seats and the government is planning ahead to increase the seats to address the issue of shortage of doctors. This plan will increase the MBBS seats by 5800.

The approved proposal says that there will be 100 MBBS seats in each medical college, which will result in an increase of about 5800 MBBS seats in medical education. The share of the central assistance for this will be over 8457 crore rupees and state share of over 2513 crore rupees.

The funding pattern will be 90:10 by Central and State Governments respectively for North Eastern States and special category States and in the ratio of 75:25 for other States. Establishment of one medical college will cost 189 crore rupees. The distance between the district/referral hospital and the medical college shall be within 10 kms and on two pieces of land.

This is a step at providing more doctor and increase the doctor-patient ratio, which is low currently. India at present has 381 medical colleges with 49918 MBBS seats registered with the Medical Council of India, the apex medical regulator in the country.

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