Health Ministry plans to double PG medical seats in 5 years

To overcome the shortage of doctors in India, Union Health Ministry is planning to double the number of postgraduation seats in medicine over the next five years.

Union Health Ministry is working to double the number of postgraduation seats in medicine over the next five years. The decision is taken to address the acute shortage of specialist doctors in India, especially in rural areas and small towns.

As per reports, the government is all set to increase the number of Diplomate of National Board (DNB) seats which are considered equivalent to post-graduate degrees in medicine (MS and MD), and identify facilities where new seats can be created and relax norms for MS/MD seats.

A senior official in the health ministry said, "Our initial homework suggests that the number of PG seats can be doubled over the next few years and it will ensure that majority of the MBBS pass-outs will stand a chance of securing a PG seat, which is not the case now," as reported by Money Control.

Central government's steps to increase doctors in India

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar apprised the Rajya Sabha on July 26, that the government has taken multiple steps to increase the availability of doctors in the country, particularly in underserved regions. The number of UG seats has increased from 51,348 before 2014 to 91,927 seats which is an increase of 79%. The number of PG seats has increased by 93% from 31,185 seats in 2014 to 60,202 seats.

As per information provided by National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the NMC as of June 2022. Assuming 80% availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors, the doctor-population ratio in the country is 1:834 which is better than the WHO standard of 1:1000. Also, there is 34.33 lakh registered nursing personnel and 13 lakh allied and healthcare professionals in the country.

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