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New Delhi : Union Health & Family Welfare Ministry administers a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for “Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals” for establishment of medical college by upgrading the district hospitals in districts concerned where there are no medical colleges. A total of 157 medical colleges have been approved under three phases of the Scheme.
Further, meetings with the States are held at regular intervals to monitor the progress of the medical colleges in terms of construction, utilisation of funds and plan of the States to make the colleges functional.
Besides, the Central Government has taken several steps to increase the number of medical seats in the country. They include :
i. Centrally Sponsored Scheme- Strengthening/ up gradation of existing State Government/Central Government Medical Colleges to increase MBBS and PG seats.
ii. Minimum Standard Requirements for setting up of Medical College have been rationalised in terms of land, faculty, staff, bed strength, equipment and other infrastructure.
iii. Enhancement of maximum intake capacity at MBBS level from 150 to 250.
iv. DNB qualification has been equated with the corresponding MD/MS and DM/M.Ch to take care of shortage of faculty.
v. Enhancement of age limit for appointment/ extension/ re-employment against posts of teachers/dean/principal/ director in medical colleges up to 70 years.
vi. The teacher-student ratio has been rationalised to increase in number of PG seats.
vii. By amending the regulations, it has been made mandatory for all medical colleges to start PG courses within 3 years from the date of their MBBS recognition /continuation of recognition.
viii. Colleges are allowed to apply for PG courses in clinical subjects at the time of 4th renewal. It will serve to advance the process for starting PG courses by more than 1 year.
ix. Provision has been made in the Regulations to offer less number of seats to the applicant medical college, in case, it falls short of minimum prescribed requirements of applied intake to avoid wastage of human resources.
x. A Consortium (a group of 2 or up to 4 private organisations) has been allowed to establish a medical college.
xi. To promote establishment of medical colleges in PPP mode, Viability Gap Funding Scheme has been launched.
The erstwhile Board of Governors, Medical Council of India, with prior approval of the Central Government had amended Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000, to provide that it shall be incumbent upon medical Colleges/Medical Institutions to make an application for starting Post- graduate medical education courses within three years of grant of recognition of its MBBS qualification, according to a PIB release.
Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare) Ashwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on February 5, 2021.