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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.
“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.
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.”
