Cabinet Approves Expansion of Medical Education Capacity with 10,023 New Seats
The decision is expected to significantly increase the availability of doctors and specialists, improve access to healthcare in underserved areas, and enable the introduction of new medical specialties across government colleges and hospitals.
New Delhi, September 25: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved a major expansion of medical education capacity in the country by creating 5,000 new postgraduate (PG) seats and 5,023 additional MBBS seats under Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for strengthening and upgrading government medical institutions. The initiative comes with an enhanced cost ceiling of ₹1.5 crore per seat and carries total financial implications of ₹15,034.50 crore from 2025–26 to 2028–29, of which the Centre will contribute ₹10,303.20 crore and states ₹4,731.30 crore.
The decision is expected to significantly increase the availability of doctors and specialists, improve access to healthcare in underserved areas, and enable the introduction of new medical specialties across government colleges and hospitals. Officials said that expanding postgraduate seats will ensure a steady supply of specialists in critical disciplines, while balanced regional distribution of seats will strengthen the health system nationwide.
Highlighting the wider impact, the Cabinet noted that the expansion will: provide more opportunities for students to pursue medical education in India, raise the quality of training to global standards, generate direct and indirect employment across the health ecosystem, and bridge gaps in healthcare accessibility, especially in rural and remote regions. The measures are also expected to boost India’s profile as a hub for affordable, quality healthcare and contribute to socio-economic development.
The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare will issue detailed guidelines for implementation, targeting the addition of all 10,023 seats by 2028–29.
Currently, India has 808 medical colleges, the highest in the world, with an intake capacity of 1,23,700 MBBS seats. Over the past decade, the country added 69,352 MBBS seats (127% growth) and 43,041 PG seats (143% growth). Despite this rapid expansion, gaps remain in several regions, prompting the government to push for further capacity building.
The Cabinet also highlighted complementary measures, including the establishment of 22 new AIIMS under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) and the introduction of new faculty qualification regulations in 2025 to expand the pool of qualified teachers. Together, these efforts underscore the government’s commitment to producing more medical professionals, strengthening human resources for health, and improving access to high-quality healthcare for India’s 1.4 billion people.
