Cabinet Clears Phase III to Add 10K Medical Seats in India

• Phase-III sanctioned to add 5,000 PG medical seats nationwide.
• MBBS seats increased by 5,023 with higher cost allocation.
• Initiatives enhance doctor availability and access to quality healthcare.

The Union Cabinet has sanctioned Phase-III scheme of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) aimed at enhancing and upgrading state and central government medical colleges, independent PG institutions, and government hospitals to add 5,000 PG seats, as well as extending the CSS for upgrading existing government medical colleges to increase 5,023 MBBS seats, with a raised cost limit of Rs 1.50 crore for each seat.

The initiative will enhance the undergraduate (UG) medical capacity, increase the number of specialist doctors by establishing more PG seats, and facilitate the launch of new specialties in government medical institutions. This will enhance the overall accessibility of physicians in the nation.

The overall financial impact of these two plans amounts to Rs 15,034.50 crore for the duration from 2025-26 to 2028-29. From Rs 15,034.50 crore, the central portion is Rs 10,303.20 crore while the state portion is Rs 4,731.30 crore.

Plans to increase medical seat numbers in government colleges throughout states and UTs will enhance the number of doctors and specialists available in the nation, thus improving access to high-quality healthcare, particularly in underprivileged regions.

Also Read: NMC Adds 6,850 New MBBS Seats for 2025-26 Academic Year

These initiatives seek to encourage an equitable distribution of healthcare resources across regions while being economical by utilizing current infrastructure. Over time, they enhance the nation’s health systems to address current and future health requirements.

It will also utilize current infrastructure for affordable growth of tertiary healthcare education within government institutions, as increasing postgraduate (PG) seats guarantees a consistent influx of specialists in essential fields.

These initiatives also aim to boost the number of positions in governmental bodies by 2028-2029. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) will provide comprehensive directives for executing the schemes.