Union Cabinet clears schemes to add 10,000 medical seats by 2028-29

The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 15,034 crore schemes to add 10,000 undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats by 2028-29 through upgradation of government colleges

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved two schemes to add around 10,000 undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical seats in the next four years.

 

The first approval is for the extension of the central scheme for upgradation of existing government medical colleges to increase 5,023 MBBS seats. “This would include an enhanced cost ceiling of Rs 1.50 crore per seat,” Union I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

 

The Centre also approved the third phase of a scheme for strengthening and upgrading existing central and state government medical colleges to increase around 5,000 PG seats.

 

At present, India has 808 medical colleges with a total intake capacity of 1,23,700 MBBS seats. Similarly, there are over 74,000 PG medical seats in the country.

 

The total cost of the two schemes is Rs 15,034.50 crore for 2025–26 to 2028–29. “Out of this, the central share is Rs 10,303.20 crore and the state share is Rs 4,731.30 crore,” the government said.

 

Detailed guidelines for implementing the seat expansion will be issued later by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

 

The government said this initiative aims to significantly augment undergraduate medical capacity and the availability of specialist doctors. “This would be done by creating additional PG seats and introducing new specialities across government medical institutions,” an official statement said.

 

The schemes will also leverage existing infrastructure for cost-effective expansion of tertiary healthcare in government institutions, as the expansion of PG seats ensures a steady supply of specialists in critical disciplines.

 

“These schemes aim to promote balanced regional distribution of healthcare resources, while being cost-effective by leveraging existing infrastructure,” the government statement added.