A parliamentary committee has raised serious concerns over the uneven distribution of medical seats in India and the escalating cost of medical education, warning that the situation leaves many families struggling to secure admissions for their children, according to reports.

In its 167th report, presented to the Rajya Sabha on December 11, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare highlighted significant disparities in the availability of MBBS seats across states. While some regions enjoy a high concentration of medical seats, others fall far below the national average of 75 MBBS seats per million population.

The committee noted that Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu offer around 150 seats per million, while Puducherry provides over 2,000 seats for a population of just one million. In contrast, Bihar has fewer than 50 seats per million, with the state accounting for only 21.

To address these gaps, the panel urged the government to establish new medical colleges in Delhi, reducing the need for students from the national capital to travel to other states or abroad. Rejecting the Action Taken Report on its recommendations from the 157th report on medical education quality, the committee pressed the National Medical Commission (NMC) to draft guidelines for setting up new medical colleges in states with fewer than 100 seats per million.

The committee welcomed the UG-MSR 2023 guidelines, which permit new colleges to admit 50, 100, or 150 MBBS students, with the option of phased expansion to 250 seats for institutions with adequate infrastructure and faculty. It recommended prioritising underserved districts, encouraging these colleges to utilise local government hospitals to deliver healthcare services.

Highlighting the affordability crisis, the report stated that fees ranging from Rs 60 lakh to over Rs 1 crore place a heavy financial burden on families. It supported applying state fee structures to 50 per cent of seats in private medical colleges, with the remainder priced in consultation with state fee regulatory committees. The panel also recommended need-based scholarships, exploring public-private partnership (PPP) models, and offering tax incentives for companies operating medical colleges.

On faculty shortages, particularly in remote areas, the committee emphasised competitive salaries, job security, and structured career progression over ad hoc or contractual appointments. It called for clear promotion criteria recognising excellence in teaching, research, and clinical work, along with streamlined recruitment and balanced reservation policies.

The report backed the Health Ministry’s view that ghost faculty undermine medical education, noting that the Aadhaar-based Biometric Attendance System introduced by the NMC would help curb absenteeism. It suggested further monitoring using face recognition and geo-positioning attendance systems.

The committee observed that limited domestic seats drive many Indian students to pursue medical education abroad, but foreign graduates face hurdles in clearing licensing exams and securing permanent registration in India. The Foreign Medical Graduate Regulation 2021 mandates a one-year rotating internship in teaching or large non-teaching hospitals. The panel recommended streamlining registration and internships for foreign graduates while maintaining quality standards, and urged expansion of domestic medical colleges to reduce reliance on foreign-trained doctors.

The committee reiterated that the National Exit Test (NExT) will standardise assessment of medical graduates nationwide, improving education quality and driving a paradigm shift in teaching and assessment practices. It is recommended that a NITI Aayog-led committee submit suggestions promptly to facilitate timely NExT implementation.

Finally, the report proposed dividing the country into zones with reputed institutions such as AIIMS acting as mentor colleges to monitor academic standards in newly established or private medical colleges, ensuring high-quality medical education across India.

PTI inputs