Committee urged govt to open new medical colleges in Delhi to reduce the burden on students who travel elsewhere for medical education.
Published Dec 13, 2025 | 12:15 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 13, 2025 | 12:15 PM
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Synopsis: A parliamentary committee report highlights stark regional imbalances in India’s MBBS seats, with southern states and Puducherry enjoying nearly double or more the national average of 75 per million, while Bihar has only 21. It urges the NMC to enforce a 100 seats per million benchmark, prioritising new colleges in underserved states, addressing faculty shortages, high fees, and quality issues amid rapid expansion since 2014.
Southern states command nearly double the national average of medical seats per million population, prompting the parliamentary committee to demand the implementation of a 100 seats per million formula across India to address stark regional imbalances.
A Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health & Family Welfare presented its report to Parliament this month, exposing geographical disparities that leave states like Bihar with 21 MBBS seats per million whilst Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu maintain approximately 150 seats per million. Puducherry records close to 2,000 or more MBBS seats for a population of just about one million.
“The Committee observes that Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have approximately 150 MBBS seats per million and Puducherry has close to 2,000 or even more MBBS seats for a population of just about one million,” the report stated. “While some other states have less than 50 seats per million population viz. Bihar has only 21 seats per million.”
The committee urged the National Medical Commission (NMC) to enforce guidelines requiring new medical colleges to open in states with fewer than 100 MBBS seats per million population. The UG-MSR Guidelines 2023 prescribe this 100 seats per million benchmark, which would require an additional 40,000 seats to meet nationally.
“The Committee, therefore, strongly recommends that the NMC must come forward with guidelines for establishing new medical colleges in states where there are fewer than hundred MBBS seats per million population,” the committee declared.
The report emphasised the government’s responsibility to stem the outflow of aspiring medical graduates and facilitate their education within the country.
“The Committee is of considered view that the Government shall make concerted efforts to implement the prescribed 100 seats per million population as per UG-MSR 2023 guidelines,” it concluded.
India has expanded medical education infrastructure dramatically since 2014. Medical colleges increased by 102 percent to 780 institutions. MBBS seats surged by 130 percent to 1,18,190, whilst postgraduate seats grew by 138.3 percent to 74,306.
The national average sits at approximately 75 MBBS seats per million population, but the expansion concentrates in southern regions. The committee noted that approximately 2 million aspiring undergraduate students compete annually for available seats.
The government has driven much of the expansion through Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) that establish new medical colleges by upgrading district or referral hospitals.
The committee recommended that the government open new medical colleges in Delhi to reduce the burden on students who travel elsewhere for medical education.
“The Committee also understands that it is the responsibility of the Government of the day to curb the outflow of aspiring medical graduates and facilitate their education in the country,” the report stated.
“In order to improve the doctor to population ratio and to reduce the reliance on foreign medical graduates it would be appropriate for the government to encourage expansion of medical colleges in the country to accommodate the education of MBBS aspiring students in the country itself.”
The committee labelled “ghost faculty”—teachers listed on rolls but absent from classes—as a curse to medical education. Zero faculty attendance cases have escalated despite the NMC mandating the Aadhaar-Enabled Biometric Attendance System to monitor presence.
“There are several challenges which have led to what may appear as shortage of faculty,” the committee observed. “As a consequence, ghost faculty has become a curse to medical education. Some faculty either do not come regularly or put false attendance.”
The report identified several factors driving faculty shortages. State governments delay sanctioning posts. Reservations policies impede filling all vacancies. Salaries fail to compete with private practice earnings.
“In most places faculty are appointed on contract or on ad-hoc basis that does not provide any incentive for retaining the faculty,” the committee noted. “Salary in a teacher’s job may be less attractive compared to private practice.”
Colleges located far from urban areas face distinct challenges in recruiting teachers. “Services required for the family, e.g., education of the children, produce another challenge to move out to urban places for jobs,” the report stated.
The committee advised the government to abandon ad-hoc and contractual appointments. Competitive salaries, job security and structured career growth should replace current hiring practices.
“Incentivising the post of a teacher can be an alternative to attract enough number of faculty,” the committee suggested. Special incentives—housing support, education facilities for children, rural service allowances—could attract teachers to distant locations.
Medical education costs range between ₹60 lakh and ₹1 crore or more, the committee noted. The NMC explored implementing a fee structure where state government fees would apply to 50 percent of seats in private medical colleges, with the remaining 50 percent decided through consultation with state regulatory committees.
This measure awaits judicial review, but the committee endorsed the plan. The report demanded need-based scholarships and Public-Private Partnership models to reduce costs.
The NMC achieved international accreditation for 10 years from the World Federation for Medical Education. Domestic curriculum reforms proceed, including revised Competency-Based Medical Education Regulations 2024.
The committee supported comprehensive implementation of the AETCOM module—Attitude, Ethics, and Communication—viewing it as pivotal for instilling ethics and empathy in future practitioners.
The National Exit Test, designed to standardise assessment and streamline licensure, faces deferral. The committee acknowledged NExT represents a paradigm shift in medical teaching and evaluation but urged the reconstituted committee, led by a Member of NITI Aayog, to expedite recommendations.
The committee reiterated that reputed institutes like AIIMS should function as mentor institutions within different geographical zones, monitoring education standards in newly established or private medical colleges.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
