Govt to add over 10,000 MBBS and PG seats

The third phase of the centrally funded plan to add 5,023 MBBS seats and 5,000 PG seats in current government medical schools and institutes at a cost of Rs 15,034 crore over the next three years was approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday. 
According to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's announcement in this year's budget, the government intends to add 75,000 extra medical seats over the following five years.

In the first phase of the program, the Center contributed Rs 5,972 crore to add 4,977 MBBS seats in 83 institutions and Rs 1,498 crore to establish 4,058 PG seats in 72 universities. In order to add 4,000 seats in 65 colleges, the Center contributed Rs 4,478 crore in the second phase.

To expand the number of medical seats in the nation, the government has launched a number of projects, such as plans to build new AIIMS, expand seats in already-existing colleges, and build new medical schools next to district hospitals.

There are now 74,306 PG medical seats and about 1.2 lakh MBBS seats available nationwide. Compared to the 51,328 MBBS seats and 31,185 PG seats that were available in 2014, this has almost doubled. The government has been seeking to increase the number of seats because medicine is a highly sought-after profession, with over 20 lakh students taking the qualifying NEET exam.