Uttar Pradesh Leads; 157 New Colleges Approved Under Central Scheme
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed the Lok Sabha that India currently has a total of 818 medical colleges, including AIIMS and Institutes of National Importance (INIs). The details were shared in response to an Unstarred Question on February 6, 2026.
Replying to queries raised by MP Jagannath Sarkar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav stated that the figures were provided by the National Medical Commission (NMC). The question sought details about districts without government medical colleges and whether high-population districts were being prioritised.
As per the data shared, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of medical colleges at 88 (51 government and 37 private). Maharashtra follows closely with 85 colleges (43 government and 42 private), while Tamil Nadu has 78 institutions (38 government and 40 private).
Other states with significant numbers include Karnataka with 72 colleges (24 government and 48 private), Telangana with 66 (37 government and 29 private), and Rajasthan with 49 colleges (34 government and 15 private). These states account for a substantial share of India’s medical education capacity.
However, several smaller states and Union Territories — including Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Goa, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim — have only one medical college each, highlighting regional disparities in medical education infrastructure.
To address such imbalances, the Ministry is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for the establishment of new medical colleges attached to existing district or referral hospitals. The scheme prioritises underserved and aspirational districts that lack government or private medical colleges.
Under this CSS initiative, 157 new medical colleges have been approved in three phases across multiple states. In addition, the government has supported the strengthening and upgradation of existing State and Central Government medical colleges, approving 4,977 additional MBBS seats and 8,058 postgraduate seats nationwide.
While the Ministry did not provide a district-wise population breakup of areas without government medical colleges, it reiterated that ongoing schemes are designed to prioritise high-need and high-population districts. The aim, it said, is to reduce regional disparities and improve access to quality medical education and tertiary healthcare services across the country.
