SRINAGAR: The Union Health Ministry on Friday told the Lok Sabha that 50 per cent of seats in private medical colleges and deemed universities will be charged at the same rates as government medical colleges, a move aimed at making medical education more affordable and preventing its commercialisation.
Responding to a Question in Lok Sabha, Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said the National Medical Commission (NMC) had framed guidelines under Clause (i) of Sub-section (1) of Section 10 of the NMC Act, 2019, to regulate fees for half the seats in private institutions. These guidelines were issued on February 3, 2022, and apply to MBBS and postgraduate courses. “The benefit of the prescribed fee structure shall benefit 50% of the medical students admitted in MBBS/PG courses in private medical colleges and deemed universities,” Nadda said.
While fee structures are normally fixed by State Fee Regulatory Authorities and vary widely, the minister acknowledged that high fees in private institutions have been a barrier for students from middle-class and economically weaker backgrounds. Government medical colleges charge subsidised fees, but private colleges have traditionally charged much higher rates.
The Ministry also placed before the House a detailed state- and union territory-wise list of medical colleges in India for 2024–25. According to the annexure, the country has 706 medical colleges, comprising 392 in the government sector and 314 in the private sector. Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 86 medical colleges (46 government, 40 private), followed by Maharashtra with 80 (42 government, 38 private), Tamil Nadu with 77 (40 government, 37 private), and Karnataka with 73 (24 government, 49 private).
The complete breakdown is as follows: Andaman & Nicobar Islands (1 government), Andhra Pradesh (19 government, 19 private), Arunachal Pradesh (1 government), Assam (14 government), Bihar (13 government, 9 private), Chandigarh (1 government), Chhattisgarh (11 government, 5 private), Dadra & Nagar Haveli (1 government), Delhi (8 government, 2 private), Goa (1 government), Gujarat (23 government, 18 private), Haryana (6 government, 9 private), Himachal Pradesh (7 government, 1 private), Jammu & Kashmir (11 government, 1 private), Jharkhand (7 government, 2 private), Karnataka (24 government, 49 private), Kerala (12 government, 22 private), Madhya Pradesh (18 government, 13 private), Maharashtra (42 government, 38 private), Manipur (3 government, 1 private), Meghalaya (1 government, 1 private), Mizoram (1 government), Nagaland (1 private), Odisha (13 government, 6 private), Puducherry (2 government, 7 private), Punjab (5 government, 8 private), Rajasthan (31 government, 12 private), Sikkim (1 private), Tamil Nadu (40 government, 37 private), Telangana (36 government, 29 private), Tripura (1 government, 2 private), Uttar Pradesh (46 government, 40 private), and Uttarakhand (6 government, 4 private).
The Health Ministry said the measure is expected to benefit thousands of students annually from the date of implementation and is part of the government’s broader strategy to make high-quality medical training accessible to a wider section of society.
