Lt Gen Madhuri Kanitkar (retd), Vice Chancellor, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) said that the initiative on increasing seats in medical colleges and hospitals is a significant one as it would enhance the quality of healthcare. Kanitkar, however, also underlined that it was equally crucial to expand and strengthen the faculty pool.
“Without this, increasing the number of seats may come at the cost of quality. If we compromise on quality at the inception stage of the making of a doctor, it will set a precedent and perpetuate for generations to come.
Constructing buildings and setting up infrastructure can be done quickly, but developing skilled medical educators takes time—at least eight to ten years for a doctor to become a qualified teacher. This gap cannot be bridged overnight unless we effectively utilise the existing talent pool,” the MUHS-VC said.
In the next year, 10,000 additional seats will be added to medical colleges and hospitals as part of a larger mission to add 75,000 medical education seats over the next five years, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday while presenting the Union Budget 2025-26.
India is approaching one lakh medical seats with Maharashtra contributing by adding 10 new government medical colleges. To achieve this, district hospitals are being transformed into medical colleges. According to the Vice-Chancellor, one of the key challenges is integrating experienced practicing doctors from government hospitals into teaching roles, as they may need to update their knowledge in line with advancements in medical technology.
“We cannot have teachers trained yesterday instructing students today who will be practicing tomorrow,” Kanitkar said. With over 600 medical colleges in the country, including 68 under MUHS in Maharashtra, some colleges may have expanded intake to 250 students per batch. “However, this may not be conducive to effective learning, mentorship, and apprenticeship—essential elements of medical education. Expanding colleges without proportionate faculty and infrastructure could dilute the quality of training,” the VC said.
She reflected on adopting a more innovative approach. Instead of setting several new departments for preclinical and paraclinical subjects, these could be integrated, while clinical training could be hospital-based, ensuring that every hospital bed becomes a teaching bed.
Story continues below this ad
“Students learn best through real patient interactions rather than relying solely on simulators. While AI and robotics will play a significant role in the future of medicine, the most critical qualities in a doctor—compassion, care, and communication—cannot be taught through simulations alone. True medical education must instill sensitivity and an understanding of patient needs,” Kanitkar said.
“We could consider increasing PG seats first, especially in restructured civil hospitals, as PG education is largely clinical-based and requires less infrastructure. The current shortage of PG seats adds immense stress to students, and addressing this gap would ensure that more graduates have access to specialized training,” she said.
Kanitkar also added that a public private partnership model could be explored to enhance public health infrastructure and offer young doctors incentives to work in these sectors for five to ten years. “Additionally, teaching learning methodology in regards to technology is the way forward. The need of the hour is not just to expand numbers but to ensure high-quality medical education that produces competent, compassionate, and well-trained professionals,” Kanitkar stressed.
Ensure timely disbursement of govt schemes
Prof Dr Raj Nagarkar, MD HCG, Manavata Cancer Centre said that the proposal to increase medical seats to 10,000 per year and 75,000 over five years raises concerns. “Expanding medical education must be accompanied by adequate infrastructure,” he said. He also added that priority should be ensuring timely payments under Government schemes and improving healthcare quality. “Challenges faced by hospitals under Government health schemes remain unaddressed. While initiatives like Ayushman Bharat are widely promoted, many private hospitals have been waiting months for pending payments, making it increasingly difficult to sustain services. In states like Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, delays in reimbursements for schemes such as CGHS, ECHS, ESIC and MJPJAY put immense financial strain on private healthcare providers, which form the backbone of these programmes.”
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues .
Professional Background
Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature.
Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO.
Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives.
Awards and Recognition
Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.”
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care
"Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose.
2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series)
Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs.
"For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune.
3. Lifestyle & Wellness News
"They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions.
At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents.
4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure
For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics.
Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far.
Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership
Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions.
... Read More
