The expansion involves Phase-III of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for strengthening and upgradation of existing government medical colleges and institutions nationwide.

• India currently has 808 medical colleges, the highest in the world, with a total intake capacity of 1,23,700 MBBS seats.
• Significance of the expansion of medical education capacity include -
  • Bridging the gap in healthcare accessibility, particularly in underserved rural and remote areas.
  • Strengthening the health system's resilience and contributing to overall socio- economic development.
  • Enhancing the quality of medical education and training to meet global standards.
  • Leveraging existing infrastructure of government hospitals and colleges for cost-effective expansion of tertiary healthcare, etc.

Issues in Medical Education System

• Regional Imbalance: Approximately one-third of medical colleges are concentrated in the southern part of India.
• Accessibility Gap:  70% shortage of specialists in rural India (Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2024).
• Demand Mismatch: ~81% registered allopathic doctors practice in urban areas that house 31% of the country’s population.
• Hospitals & infrastructure under-utilization: Some government colleges with large hospital beds‐capacity are still limited to low MBBS seat quotas.