The availability of medical seats in government medical colleges in Telangana has tripled compared to the national level. In 2022, a total of 17,64,571 candidates appeared for the NEET (UG) examination. Out of the 95,313 students admitted to MBBS courses in 2022-23, 48,929 students were admitted to government medical colleges, which is 2.77% of the students who appeared for the exam.
The number of MBBS seats in government colleges increased from 24,468 in 2013-14 to 56,283 in 2023-24. In private colleges, the number of seats increased from 26,880 to 51,665. This makes a total of 107,948 seats, a 110% increase compared to 2013-14.
In Telangana, one in every 12 students who appeared for the NEET exam got a seat in a government medical college, whereas at the national level, it is one in every 36 students. This shows that the availability of seats in government colleges in Telangana is three times higher than the national average.
The President of the IMA State, BN Rao, praised the government’s initiative to increase the number of medical colleges in each district. He believes that this will improve healthcare services at the grassroots level and lead to an increase in the number of doctors and beds in upgraded hospitals.
For example, when CHC Vikarabad was upgraded to a medical college, the number of doctors increased from 13 to 134 and the number of departments increased from 8 to 36. Similarly, the area hospital at Ramagundam saw an increase from 31 doctors and 14 departments to 453 doctors, 558 support staff, and 36 departments when it became a medical college.
The district hospitals in Khammam and Karimnagar also experienced a significant increase in the number of doctors and departments when they were transformed into medical colleges.
