NEW DELHI, SEP 8 (PTI): India has more than doubled the number of medical colleges and increased MBBS and postgraduate seats by over 175 per cent since 2014, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said.
The government of India has significantly expanded medical education infrastructure through the establishment of new medical colleges and upgradation of existing government medical colleges, Nadda said at the 79th session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in Timor-Leste.
He also underscored the government’s efforts to expand access to specialised healthcare in rural and underserved areas.
Addressing a ministerial roundtable on “Human Resources for Health: Equity in Specialised Care”, Nadda said equitable access to specialised care is integral to achieving universal health coverage and requires a comprehensive approach covering education, training, deployment, retention and continuing professional development of healthcare workers. He said the number of medical colleges in India has risen from 387 in 2014 to 858, an increase of 121.71 per cent.
During the same period, MBBS seats increased from 51,348 to 1,42,464, while postgraduate seats rose from 31,185 to 86,287, registering increases of 177.45 per cent and 176.69 per cent, respectively.
Nadda also highlighted the targeted expansion of postgraduate capacity, saying schemes for increasing medical seats were extended in September 2025 with a target of creating 10,000 additional postgraduate seats by 2028-29. Priority has been accorded to underserved areas and shortage specialities such as emergency medicine, geriatrics, psychiatry and family medicine, he said.
The minister said 157 new nursing colleges are being established alongside existing medical colleges and are expected to add around 15,700 nursing graduates annually, with a focus on improving access to quality and affordable nursing education in underserved districts and states and Union Territories.
Nurse practitioner programmes have also been introduced in 10 critical specialities, supported by the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Act, 2023, he said.
India has further announced the creation of 1 lakh allied and healthcare professionals over five years, Nadda said, adding that 57 allied and healthcare professions have been brought under a structured regulatory framework through the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021.
He said Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are providing comprehensive primary healthcare, including screening, early identification and referral services, while Ayushman Arogya Shivirs are extending screening and specialist consultations to underserved communities.
Nadda also highlighted the role of community health centres and first referral units in providing specialist and referral services and said flexible mechanisms such as competitive remuneration, difficult-area allowances, in-sourcing of speciality services, performance-based incentives and fixed-tenure postings are being adopted to improve the availability and retention of specialists in difficult areas.
Digital health platforms such as eSanjeevani and ABHA-enabled digital health records are also helping overcome geographical barriers by facilitating teleconsultations, referrals and continuity of care, particularly for people living in remote and underserved areas, he said.
A key outcome of the WHO regional meeting was the adoption of the “Dili Declaration on Human Resources for Health: Equity in Specialised Care” by health ministers of member states of the WHO South-East Asia Region, a health ministry statement said.
The declaration calls for better alignment of health workforce planning, education and financing with demographic, epidemiological and health emergency preparedness needs and seeks measures to attract, recruit, deploy, retain and improve the performance of specialist health workers, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
It also advocates task-sharing, mentoring, rotational outreach and visiting specialist programmes, along with integrated referral systems, teleconsultation networks and coordinated referral hospitals, the statement said.
The declaration further calls for the safe and equitable adoption of digital health technologies, including telemedicine, teleconsultation and AI-supported clinical tools, to expand specialist services in rural, remote and underserved areas.
It identifies cancer, cardiovascular care, trauma, maternal and newborn care, mental health, geriatric and rehabilitative care among high-priority specialised services.
India welcomed the declaration, saying it would help advance universal health coverage and “Health for All” across the region, the statement said.
At the WHO meet, India received two WHO South-East Asia Region awards, the Health Ministry said.
India was honoured for “sustaining the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus over the past decade” and “strong leadership in tackling NCDs through primary health care, with national targets achieved for protocol-based management of hypertension and diabetes”, the ministry said in a post.
“A tribute to our frontline health workers, whose dedication continues to strengthen India’s health system and improve health outcomes for all,” it said.
