Health Ministry okays 55 new medical colleges

Expected outlay by Centre for PPP project estimated at Rs 8,500 crore

The health ministry plans to adopt public-private partnership model to implement its ambitious scheme to increase the availability of doctors in the country. The ministry has in-principle approved setting up of 55 new medical colleges which will be linked with the existing district hospitals and referral hospitals, primarily located in remote areas.

According to an official, the expected outlay by the Centre for the project is estimated at Rs 8,500 crore. The programme is likely to create around 5,500 additional MBBS seats annually.

The move is aimed at bridging the huge gap existing between demand and supply of medical practitioners in the country. The current doctor-patient ratio in India is at around 1:2000.

Besides starting the medical colleges, the health ministry is also planning to up-grade existing Central government medical colleges to increase MBBS seats in the country. The specific target of the scheme is to increase about 10,000 MBBS seats in about 100 existing medical colleges in the country, the official said.

According to the official, both the programmes or schemes have been sanctioned and detailed draft proposals have been sent for appraisal by the finance ministry and the Planning Commission. The health ministry is now expecting to launch the schemes in 2013, itself.

A total of Rs 1,023 crore was allocated for medical education including nursing and para-medical studies. Of this, while Rs 260 crore was allocated for continuation of the ongoing schemes to strengthen state government medical colleges, rest has to be used in new schemes for establishing fresh medical colleges as well as to increase seats and upgrade infrastructure in existing colleges.

The government is also planning to start centres of excellence for nursing education in states.