Govt Scanning Proposal to Upgrade Smaller District Hospitals for Opening Medical Colleges

The central government is considering a proposal to use smaller district hospitals for opening new medical colleges, News18 has learnt.

While presently the bigger district hospitals are already used for opening new medical colleges, now the National Medical Commission (NMC) is working on a plan to ease the process.

‘Small’ measures

Under the plan, it has been drafting recommendations including the use of smaller district hospitals also for opening medical colleges.

“So far, the smaller district hospitals are out of the government’s purview for the opening of medical colleges. Now, we are trying to see if smaller district hospitals can also be used for educating medical students. The discussions are going on and several recommendations have been made,” a senior government official privy to the development told News18. “We are trying to examine the possibility. For instance: what are the things at these smaller district hospitals that can be made available and what are the disadvantages that cannot be compensated? All of it cannot be useless…There could be some way for making the idea feasible.”

The government could also attach primary healthcare centres (PHCs) with medical colleges but the official said that the discussion is at a very “premature stage” and nothing concrete has been finalised.

Upgrade of bigger district hospitals and increase in seats

The ministry of health and family welfare administers a centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) for the establishment of new medical colleges attached to existing district or referral hospitals with a preference for underserved areas and aspirational districts, where there is no existing government or private medical college.

Under this plan, the government has already increased the number of medical colleges and subsequently increased MBBS seats.

According to a media release by the Press Information Bureau, there is an increase of 69% in medical colleges from 387 before 2014 to 655 till February 2023. Also, there is an increase of 95% in MBBS seats from 51,348 before 2014 to 1,00,163 till February and an increase of 110% in post-graduation seats from 31,185 before 2014 to 65,335 till February this year.