Union Health Ministry Confirms Major Expansion of Medical Education Infrastructure
New Delhi: India’s medical education sector has received a significant boost this year, with the Government adding 44 new medical colleges and 11,732 MBBS seats for the academic year 2025–26, Minister of State for Health Smt. Anupriya Patel informed the Rajya Sabha.
Additionally, 3,393 postgraduate (PG) seats have been added to the country’s PG medical seat matrix for AY 2025–26. The Minister shared this data in response to questions raised by MP Smt. Sumitra Balmik regarding medical college expansion, state-wise seat distribution, and future plans for increasing medical capacity.
118 Medical Colleges Approved in Two Years
According to the National Medical Commission (NMC), the Government approved:
- 74 new medical colleges in AY 2024–25
- 44 new medical colleges in AY 2025–26
This two-year expansion adds up to 118 new medical colleges, marking one of the largest increases in recent years.
State-Wise Distribution of 44 Medical Colleges Added for 2025
As per NMC data, the 44 newly approved colleges for 2025 are spread across multiple states:
- 1 college each: Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Punjab
- 2 colleges each: Haryana, Assam, Odisha, Gujarat
- 3 colleges each: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, West Bengal
- 4 colleges: Madhya Pradesh
- 5 colleges: Maharashtra
- 6 colleges: Rajasthan
This distribution underscores the Centre’s focus on improving access to medical education in high-demand and underserved regions.
11,732 MBBS Seats Added in 2025; Karnataka Tops the List
The Ministry shared detailed state-wise additions of undergraduate medical seats for 2024–25 and 2025–26.
For 2025–26, a total of 11,732 MBBS seats were added, with the highest contributions from:
- Karnataka – 1,550 seats (highest in India)
- Tamil Nadu – 1,050 seats
- Maharashtra – 980 seats
- Uttar Pradesh – 950 seats
Other major additions:
- Bihar: 550
- Haryana: 525
- Kerala: 700
- Madhya Pradesh: 525
- Rajasthan: 825
- West Bengal: 800
- Andhra Pradesh: 430
- Assam: 325
- Odisha: 300
- Jammu & Kashmir: 379
- Jharkhand: 200
- Telangana: 475
- Uttarakhand: 100
- Puducherry: 43
- Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Delhi: 50 each
The Minister noted that the cumulative seat expansion reflects the Centre’s strategy to address doctor shortages and strengthen healthcare delivery across states.
3,393 New PG Medical Seats Approved for 2025-26
The data also highlighted the distribution of 3,393 new postgraduate medical seats, with the largest increases seen in:
- Karnataka – 599 PG seats (highest)
- Maharashtra – 418 seats
- Tamil Nadu – 375 seats
- Uttar Pradesh – 290 seats
- Gujarat – 285 seats
- Odisha – 155 seats
- Rajasthan – 112 seats
- Madhya Pradesh – 115 seats
- Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana – 118 seats each
Smaller but notable increases include:
- Andaman & Nicobar – 13
- Assam – 41
- Chhattisgarh – 61
- Delhi – 47
- Haryana – 72
- Himachal Pradesh – 32
- Kerala – 97
- Mizoram – 10
- Uttarakhand – 68
- West Bengal – 36
Future Rollout: Government Aims for 5,000 More PG Seats, 5,023 MBBS Seats
Sharing the Government’s long-term plan, the Minister informed Parliament that the Union Cabinet approved Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) on September 24, 2025.
The scheme aims to provide funding support to expand and upgrade:
- State Government medical colleges
- Central Government medical colleges
- Standalone PG Institutes
- Government hospitals
Under this phase, the Government intends to add:
- 5,000 new PG seats
- 5,023 additional MBBS seats
The cost ceiling has been enhanced to ₹1.50 crore per seat, signalling robust investment toward strengthening India’s healthcare workforce.
A Major Step Toward Meeting India’s Growing Healthcare Needs
The massive scale of expansion in both MBBS and PG seats reflects the Government’s ongoing efforts to bridge India’s doctor-population ratio and improve healthcare accessibility. With new colleges opening across multiple states and thousands of new seats, the country’s medical education infrastructure is projected to strengthen significantly over the next four years.
