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New Delhi
December 14, 2025
A Parliamentary Standing Committee has raised serious concerns regarding the stark regional imbalances and prohibitive costs plaguing India’s medical education sector. In its 167th report presented to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare highlighted that while some states are saturated with medical seats, others face acute shortages, compromising the equitable delivery of healthcare across the nation.
The Great Divide: Feast and Famine
The Committee’s findings paint a picture of a nation divided by access. While the national average stands at 75 MBBS seats per million population, the distribution is heavily skewed. The report noted that southern and western states like Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu have surged ahead with approximately 150 seats per million people. In stark contrast, Bihar languishes with a mere 21 seats per million, and Jharkhand and other northern states face similar deficits.
“The disparity is not just a statistic; it determines who gets to become a doctor and who gets access to care,” the report observed. Puducherry emerged as an extreme outlier with nearly 2,000 seats per million population—a figure driven largely by a high concentration of private institutions.
To bridge this gap, the panel has strongly recommended that the National Medical Commission (NMC) frame specific guidelines to prioritize the establishment of new medical colleges in states with fewer than 100 MBBS seats per million. It also specifically urged the government to plan new medical colleges in Delhi to prevent the annual exodus of students from the capital to other states or countries.
The Price of a White Coat
Beyond geography, the report flagged the skyrocketing cost of private medical education as a “matter of concern.” With the cost of an MBBS degree in private colleges ranging from ₹60 lakh to over ₹1 crore, the Committee stated that the profession is effectively becoming a gated community, inaccessible to talented students from economically weaker sections.
“It appears as if there are no takers for the poor guardian to get their offspring admitted,” the panel noted grimly.
To address this, the Committee endorsed a significant regulatory shift: applying the state government fee structure to 50% of seats in all private medical colleges. For the remaining 50%, fees would be determined in consultation with state fee regulatory committees. Additionally, the panel suggested exploring Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models and offering tax benefits to organizations setting up colleges in underserved districts to lower operational costs.
Quality Control and the ‘Ghost Faculty’ Menace
The expansion of seats, however, has brought its own set of challenges regarding quality. The report highlighted the persistent issue of faculty shortages, particularly in remote areas. It called for a shift away from ad-hoc and contractual appointments, advocating instead for competitive salaries, job security, and structured career progression to attract talent to rural colleges.
The Committee also weighed in on the issue of “ghost faculty”—teachers who are on the payroll but absent from classrooms. It expressed optimism that the NMC’s recently introduced Aadhaar-based biometric attendance system would help curb this malpractice.
“Administrative monitoring via robust IT solutions like face recognition and geo-positioning is essential to mitigate the menace of ghost faculty and ensure zero-tolerance for non-attendance,” the report stated. To further standardize quality, the panel reiterated its recommendation to divide the country into zones, with reputable institutes like AIIMS acting as “mentors” to newer colleges in their region.
Expert Perspectives
Medical education experts have welcomed the report but remain cautious about implementation. Dr. Aruna Desai, a senior health policy analyst (name changed for general representation), noted, “The recommendation to cap fees for 50% of private seats is pro-student, but without government subsidies or tax breaks for these private institutions, we might see a compromise in infrastructure or faculty salaries to cut costs. The economics must work for the colleges too.”
Furthermore, the focus on regional distribution addresses a critical public health bottleneck. “Doctors tend to settle where they study,” explained Dr. Ravi Kumar, a former dean of a government medical college. “If we force students from Bihar to study in Karnataka or abroad due to a lack of local seats, they are less likely to return to serve in Bihar’s rural primary health centers. Localizing education is the first step to localizing healthcare delivery.”
Implications for Public Health
The uneven distribution of seats directly correlates with India’s skewed doctor-patient ratio, which meets WHO standards in urban centers but falls woefully short in rural hinterlands. By linking the establishment of new colleges to underserved districts, the government aims to utilize existing district hospitals for training, thereby improving the doctor-population ratio where it matters most.
The Committee also touched upon the reliance on Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs). With limited domestic seats forcing thousands to study in countries like Russia and China, the panel emphasized that expanding domestic capacity is the only sustainable solution to reduce this dependency and ensure quality assurance through the upcoming National Exit Test (NExT).
Conclusion
The 167th report serves as a critical blueprint for the next phase of medical education reform in India. While the sheer increase in seat numbers over the last decade is a quantitative success, the focus must now shift to equity and affordability. As the government considers these recommendations, the challenge will lie in balancing the financial sustainability of private institutions with the moral imperative of making medical education accessible to all deserving aspirants, regardless of their pin code or bank balance.
Medical Disclaimer:
This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with qualified healthcare professionals before making any health-related decisions or changes to your treatment plan. The information presented here is based on current research and expert opinions, which may evolve as new evidence emerges.
References:
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Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare. (2025). 167th Report on Medical Education Challenges. Presented to Rajya Sabha, December 11, 2025.
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Medical Dialogues. (2025, December 13). Uneven MBBS seat distribution to high fees: Parliamentary panel flags medical education challenges.
