Revolutionizing Healthcare: India's Expanding Medical Education and Rural Outreach
The Indian government, under Union Health Minister J P Nadda, has significantly increased the number of medical colleges and seats since 2014. Initiatives like the Family Adoption Programme and the District Residency Programme aim to improve rural healthcare access. Over 178,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs now provide comprehensive care, improving accessibility and reducing costs.
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In a significant boost to India's healthcare infrastructure, the number of medical colleges surged from 387 to 780, while undergraduate seats expanded from 51,348 to 1,15,900, and postgraduate seats rose from 31,185 to 74,306 since 2014, as announced by Union Health Minister J P Nadda in the Rajya Sabha.
Nadda highlighted the government's efforts to bridge healthcare delivery gaps, emphasizing the increase in medical colleges and the expansion of undergrad and postgrad seats. With 13,86,157 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 AYUSH practitioners, India's doctor-population ratio stands at 1:811, according to WHO standards.
To enhance rural healthcare access, initiatives such as the Family Adoption Programme and District Residency Programme were introduced. Meanwhile, 1,78,154 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established, transforming healthcare delivery and increasing annual footfall from 13.49 crore in 2019-20 to 128.08 crore in 2024-25.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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