The National Medical Commission (NMC) chairperson Abhijat Sheth called for a stronger focus on quality, competency and technology-enabled learning as India rapidly expands its medical education system, warning that growth in the number of colleges and seats must not come at the cost of standards.
Addressing the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s Medical Education Forum in Delhi, Sheth said India now has more than 800 medical colleges, describing the expansion as a “purposeful national strategy” aimed at strengthening the healthcare workforce and addressing geographical and demographic disparities.
India’s medical education capacity has expanded sharply over the past decade, with the number of medical colleges more than doubling from 387 in 2014 to 844 in 2026, while undergraduate Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) seats have nearly tripled from 51,348 to 1,39,489.
“The ultimate measure of our success will not be how many doctors we are going to create, but what kind of doctors we are going to create who will be serving the society,” Sheth said.
“As we expand, our greatest responsibility is to ensure that expansion doesn’t compromise quality while ensuring access and equity,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“As we expand, our greatest responsibility is to ensure that expansion doesn’t compromise quality while ensuring access and equity,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Highlighting the changing role of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in medical education, Sheth said that AI would increasingly assist diagnosis, data analysis and clinical decision-making. However, he said, “AI should never replace professional responsibilities and accountability.”
He said that medical students must learn not only to use AI but also understand algorithmic bias, data privacy, cybersecurity, informed consent and the limitations of AI-generated information. India, he added, should develop AI systems suited to its own population, healthcare challenges and data.
Calling for a shift towards competency-based education, faculty development, simulation-based learning and lifelong research, Sheth said India’s objective should be to produce doctors capable of shaping the future of medicine.