Despite existing challenges such as faculty shortages in current institutions, compromising the quality of medical education and hindering efforts towards achieving universal health coverage, India is set to witness an increase in medical colleges in the near future.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her interim budget 2024-25 speech on Thursday, said the government is aiming to support aspiring youth in becoming qualified doctors by announcing plans to establish more medical colleges.
"Several youth are ambitious to become qualified doctors and serve our people through improved healthcare services. Our government plans to set up more medical colleges by utilizing the existing hospital infrastructure under various departments," said the finance minister.
However, Sitharaman also stated that a committee would be set up to examine these issues and make relevant recommendations. This announcement follows the government's December 2023 decision to allocate additional seats for PG medical courses across specialties, indicating ongoing efforts to address the doctor shortage.
"Utilizing the existing infrastructure of medical colleges is not feasible as it would exacerbate staff shortages and other problems. Medical colleges lack amenities and infrastructure, further degrading their quality, similar to past issues seen in engineering and dental colleges. In government medical colleges, the shortage is so severe that obtaining cadavers for experiments is challenging, with one body often shared across multiple institutions," said Arup Mitra, Professor of Economics at South Asian University, New Delhi.
Despite the expansion, concerns remain regarding faculty shortages, uneven distribution of colleges across states, and limited rural outreach. Health economists emphasize the need for continuous efforts in areas like faculty recruitment, capacity building, promoting rural postings, and strengthening infrastructure.
"We are glad that the government is considering adding more hospitals in all districts, essential to meet rising demand. We recommend focusing on public-private partnerships (PPP) to address this. Comprehensive reform of medical education is urgently needed to ensure that medical professionals are trained in the latest medicine and techniques, like their western counterparts," said Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder and Chairman of Aster DM Healthcare.
Despite the expansion, concerns persist regarding faculty shortages, uneven distribution of colleges across states, and limited rural outreach. Health economists assert that addressing these challenges requires continuous efforts in areas such as faculty recruitment, capacity building, promotion of rural postings, and infrastructure strengthening. "Expansion in medical education and hospital facilities is imperative, with significant improvements needed in instrumental infrastructure," said Mitra.
Addressing specific health issues requires aligning care facilities with illness types and expanding supplies as necessary. Overcrowding in public hospitals and the high costs of private hospitals disproportionately affect low-income households, underscoring the need for interventions to alleviate vulnerability," Mitra emphasized.
In addition to increasing the number of medical colleges, Sitharaman announced plans to consolidate various schemes for maternal and child care under one comprehensive program for synergy in implementation. "Upgradation of anganwadi centers under 'Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0' will be expedited for improved nutrition delivery, early childhood care, and development," she stated.
"The newly designed U-WIN platform for managing immunization and intensified efforts of Mission Indradhanush will be rolled out expeditiously throughout the country." Furthermore, Sitharaman announced the extension of healthcare coverage under the Ayushman Bharat scheme to all ASHA workers, Anganwadi Workers, and Helpers.