Ahmedabad: Gujarat will soon establish its 41st medical college at the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Naroda-Bapunagar, after receiving approval from the National Medical Commission (NMC). The Gujarat government has also issued an Essentiality Certificate (EC) for the 420-bed hospital, which now allows it to open a medical college. The college will offer 100 MBBS seats starting in the 2025-26 academic year.
This decision marks a significant milestone for the state, as it will increase the total number of medical colleges in Gujarat to 41, with a cumulative total of 7,250 MBBS seats. Currently, Gujarat has 40 medical colleges with 7,150 MBBS seats.
The approval comes after the ESIC Hospital in Naroda-Bapunagar submitted a proposal to the NMC, which has now granted the green signal for the establishment of the medical college. Additionally, Mansukh L. Mandaviya, the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, has sanctioned the infrastructure development and staff appointments needed for the college.
The Naroda-Bapunagar medical college is part of a larger initiative, as in October 2024, the ESIC was given in-principle approval to set up 10 new medical colleges across 8 states in India, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand. This initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day announcement to create 75,000 new medical seats across the country in the next five years.
In addition to the Naroda-Bapunagar college, Rajasthan Hospital in Gujarat has also received an Essentiality Certificate for the establishment of a new medical college, which will initially have 50 MBBS seats, with plans to expand to 100 seats later.
