FAIMA launches survey to study feasibility of increasing medical seats amid infrastructure shortfall

The federation claimed that the infrastructure, strength of teaching staff, and the hostels cannot meet the requirements of the increased number of seats

Mumbai: The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) on Sunday launched a nationwide survey to collect responses of students and resident doctors on the central government’s recent decision to add 5,000 medical seats each in both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses across the country, and the National Medical Council’s approval of new colleges. The federation claims that the infrastructure, strength of teaching staff, and the hostels to accommodate students currently available cannot meet the requirements of the increased number of seats, leaving student and resident doctors in a precarious situation.

3d Render Realistic Medical Stethoscope on Color Background.

“The government is focused on increasing numbers. But unless facilities are scaled up, the quality of medical education and patient care will only decline,” said Dr Akshay Dongardive, FAIMA’s national president.

The survey

FAIMA’s survey is being carried out with the objective of gauging whether the colleges are prepared to accommodate the addition of seats, for which responses are being collected from resident doctors and medical students from across the country. The survey is designed to focus on infrastructure and machinery availability, hostel capacity, and faculty strength to cater to the additional seats.

“The association has circulated a Google form to students and resident doctors across the country to understand their take on the situation. As of Monday afternoon, we have received 1,500 responses,” Dongardive said.

After three more days, the findings from the responses will be analysed and presented to the officials from the Union Health Ministry, the Directorate of Medical Education and Drugs, and the state government, he added.

Infrastructure shortfall

The association claims that the seats are going up, but infrastructure has not kept pace. “New PG institutes in peripheral medical colleges are being approved, but the state of facilities has not matched the numbers,” Dongardive said, adding that Maharashtra, which has nearly 80 MBBS colleges, including 35 government institutions, is one of the states where the gap is most visible.

Dr Swapnil Kendre, general secretary of FAIMA, pointed out that the biggest concern is the imbalance between student intake and resources available at present, highlighting that the current setup is not sufficient for even the existing number of students and resident doctors, let alone the increased number of seats.

“The amount of infrastructure has not increased in proportion to the seats. ICUs may be there, but the machinery often does not work. X-ray and CT scan machines are faulty for weeks, and residents are forced to somehow manage patient care,” he said.

Lack of mentorship

Speaking of the need for proper guidance for aspiring doctors, Kendre pointed to the shortage of PG guides in newer colleges. “Guides are sometimes allotted only on paper. Many colleges do not have senior doctors to supervise. In some cases, professors from major centres are sent temporarily, but this is hardly enough. For PG training, mentorship is crucial; students cannot fulfill criteria like seminars, conferences, and research without it. This directly affects their career progression and even eligibility for exams,” he said.

Issue with hostels

A resident doctor from Nashik, requesting anonymity, said, “In our college, there were no hostels. Most of us stayed in another medical college’s hostel. Suddenly, the college rented private buildings and we are being asked to pay rent every month. Now, if PG students are added, where will they live? Even existing students have no place.”

Basic amenities, particularly hostels, remain another flashpoint for the association. “Most government hospitals do not have enough hostels to accommodate the growing number of students. Before increasing seats, the government should focus on these facilities and then work on the rest. How will students get quality education if their basic needs are not secured?” Kendre said.