The Minister for Medical Education, Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, announced the submission of a proposal to the National Medical Commission (NMC) for the addition of 1500 new medical seats in colleges across Karnataka. He spoke about the proposal for adding medical seats during an interview with The Hindu on Thursday.

 

 

Addition of 1500 New Medical Seats

 

The Karnataka government is taking efforts to increase the number of medical seats in government colleges across the state. A proposal for the addition of 1500 new medical seats in various colleges across Karnataka was forwarded to the National Medical Commission (NMC). The proposal by the Karnataka government included the number of new seats to be added for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The Karnataka government’s proposal sought for an addition of 800 undergraduate and 700 postgraduate seats, which add to 1500 new medical seats in colleges across the state.

 

The request to the National Medical Commission (NMC) for the addition of the 1500 new medical seats aims to cater to the high demand for clinical courses. The Minister for Medical Education stated that most government colleges in Karnataka have the necessary infrastructure for practicing clinical courses, emphasizing the eligibility for adding new medical seats in the colleges.

 

 

Also Read 1500 New Medical Seats Likely in Karnataka upon RGUHS Approval

 

 

Addition of 1500 New Medical Seats Across Medical Colleges

 

Approvals were received for the addition of 100 to 150 new medical seats earlier. The submitted proposal to the National Medical Commission (NMC) includes the addition of medical seats in all the government medical colleges except for the newly started colleges in Chickballapur, Chikkamagaluru, Haveri, and Chitradurga.

 

The Karnataka government has requested that the National Medical Commission (NMC) increase the number of medical seats at each government college by 50. The Minister of Medical Education further stated that Karnataka can get medical seats equivalent to four or five colleges without actually constructing the colleges, with the addition of 1500 new medical seats. The increase in medical seats provides opportunities for many candidates aspiring to become future doctors.

 

 

 

Financial Plans and Budgets by the Karnataka Government

 

The finance department has advised appropriate steps to be taken to make Karnataka government medical colleges self-sustaining in the long run. After analyzing the models of the state of Gujarat, the Ministry is considering charging higher fees for new medical seats. This will also help colleges avoid dependence on government funding, according to Dr. Sharan.

 

There are government medical colleges in 22 districts across the state. The government medical college in Bagalkot and one in Kolar, operating on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, have been announced in the State Budget.

 

The Minister for Medical Education also stated that the next goal is to set up cancer care centers, super-specialty hospitals, and trauma care centers that will cover at least two or three districts each across the State. Many of these projects are ongoing, and once they are completed, the medical services will be available to the people at a lower cost.

 

 

 

Medical Seats at Private Colleges

 

When asked about the hike in fees for the academic year 2025-2026 across private medical colleges, Dr. Sharan replied that no proposal had been submitted to the government in this regard.

 

Currently, private medical colleges in Karnataka offer 40% of their seats as government quota seats, for which the government has fixed a fee of Rs. 1.20 lakhs. The Karnataka government will fix the fee for the remaining 40% of private quota seats, which was Rs. 12 lakh per annum last year. The remaining 20% ​​of the seats are NRI and management quota seats, for which the institutions themselves will fix the fee.

 

 

Key Takeaways Regarding 1500 New Medical Seats

 

 

Here are the key takeaways from the Hindu’s interview with Dr. Sharan on Thursday regarding the addition of 1500 new medical seats.

 

• Proposal to Add New Medical Seats: A proposal has been submitted for the addition of 1500 new medical seats in Karnataka in response to the high demand for medical courses. The request to add 800 undergraduate and 700 postgraduate medical seats was included in the proposal.
• Construction Projects: Initiatives are being taken to establish cancer care centers, super-specialty hospitals, and trauma care centers, making medical services more affordable.

 

 

 

Also Read 10000 New Medical Seats in 2025 for UG and PG upon FM Union Budget Address

 

 

 

Approval of 1500 New Medical Seats and Colleges

 

Karnataka has 12,395 MBBS seats across 71 medical colleges for NEET 2025. The approval from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) for the addition of 1500 new medical seats across the state benefits candidates, providing them additional opportunities.

RGUHS recently approved a proposal from the Local Inspection Committee (LIC) for the addition of new medical seats and a college. 1500 new medical seats will be added across 8 private medical colleges and 16 government colleges. Approval was also received for the establishment of a new private medical college in Hunsur, Mysuru. Furthermore, 2 government medical colleges in Ramanagara and Kanakapura are expected to commence operations from 2025, adding another 250 medical seats.

 

Karnataka has also received approval from the National Medical Commission (NMC) for 3 new medical colleges after submitting a proposal for 5 colleges. The newly approved colleges are BGS Medical College & Hospital, Nagarur, PES University Institute of Health Sciences & Research Centre, Electronic City, and S R Medical College, Bagalkot. The total medical seat intake in these three colleges is 350.

 

 

Advantages of the Addition of 1500 New Medical Seats

 

• More Opportunities: The inclusion of 1500 new medical seats provides additional opportunities for candidates aspiring to become doctors.
• Ease of Access to Healthcare: The current doctor-to-patient ratio in India is 1:834. Additional candidates from remote areas can get adequate training at reputed institutes with the addition of new seats. They may then serve in rural and remote places, making access to healthcare clinics and hospitals easy for the people.