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Central government approves eight new medical colleges in state
The NMC approved eight new medical colleges in Maharashtra, boosting local MBBS seats to 4,850 and aiming to reduce overseas education needs.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved eight new government-run medical colleges in Maharashtra, taking the total number of government medical colleges in the state to 35, with a total of 4,850 seats. The new colleges will be located in Gadchiroli, Amravati, Washim, Jalna, Buldhana, Ambarnath, Bhandara, and Hingoli, and each college will have 100 MBBS seats.
The move is in line with the state government’s policy of establishing at least one medical college in every district. It is expected to reduce the need for students to seek medical education abroad, as more opportunities will be available locally.
The state has allocated ₹403 crore for constructing each of the eight colleges approved by the NMC in addition to the two colleges previously approved in Mumbai and Nashik. The construction work will be handled by the central government’s public sector agencies, and it is expected to commence shortly. Meanwhile the institutions will continue to run in rented buildings.
Hasan Mushrif, state medical education minister, highlighted the cooperation between the union health minister and state authorities in facilitating the swift approval of these colleges.
The new colleges that have been granted approval will need to secure affiliation with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) before they can admit students. Dinesh Waghmare, principal secretary of the Medical Education Department, assured that the affiliation process will be completed within days, making 800 new MBBS seats available in round 3 of the Centralised Admission Process (CAP).
Meanwhile, Brijesh Sutaria, an education activist, raised concerns on behalf of the meritorious students who already secured admission in private and deemed medical colleges despite achieving high scores in NEET UG. “With new MBBS seats being added in upcoming rounds, these students might feel unfairly placed, especially considering the struggles they faced during exams and results, along with court cases and official inquiries. Will they be given a chance to transfer to government colleges if seats become available? Or will they be stuck paying higher fees in private institutions?” said Sutaria.
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State CET Cell Extends Counselling Deadline
The State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell has extended the counselling period for the second round of MBBS and BDS admissions. The second-round merit list, initially delayed due to technical issues, was published on October 1. Students selected in this round have until October 6 to complete the counselling process. The list can be accessed on CET cell’s official website. The circular of the CET cell also highlighted the possibility of further increasing MBBS seats in the upcoming third round of admissions.
