Location for the medical colleges will be identified in the selected areas.  

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday, gave its approval for setting up 24 new medical colleges in underserved areas, increasing the under and post graduate medical seats by 18,058 and adding 248 nursing and midwifery schools.

This is to be done at a total estimated cost of Rs. 14,930.92 crore up to 2019-20.

According to a release issued by the Health Ministry, “The government is looking at continuation of the ongoing scheme to establish 58 new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals already approved under Phase-l by 2019-20. Selection and establishment of 24 new medical colleges will be under Phase-lI by 2021-22.’’

Also the locations of the proposed 24 new medical colleges in Phase-ll will be selected within the identified underserved areas in challenge mode.

An amount of Rs. 5,587.68 crore is proposed for the ongoing scheme under Central share during Phase-I. Phase-II entails an amount of Rs. 3,675 crore to be spent till 2021-22 as Central share out of which an amount of Rs. 2,600 crore is proposed to be spent till 2019-2020.

“It has been planned to ensure at least one medical college for every three to five Parliamentary Constituencies and at least one Government medical college in a State,’’ noted the Health Ministry. The government is looking at an increase of 10,000 UG seats by 2020-21 and 8,058 PG seats (4,058 in Phase-l by 2018-19 and 4,000 in Phase-ll by 2020-21).

The Cabinet has also given the green signal for setting up 112 Auxiliary Nursing and Midwifery (ANM) Schools and 136 General Nursing Midwifery (GNM) Schools by 2019-20 in underserved districts.