The panel mentions about the lack of trained medical staff
A Parliamentary Standing Committee has noted that implementing the government’s ambitious 'One District, One Medical College' may no longer be viable because of a lack of medical staff, including doctors.
A recent Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare report warns that this rapid expansion could backfire, straining resources and compromising education quality.
India has made historic progress with over 1,000 medical colleges and a 130 per cent increase in MBBS seats since 2014. However, the Committee argues that sanctioning medical colleges based on district boundaries rather than population density creates a skewed distribution. Urban hubs see multiple colleges, while rural areas struggle with faculty shortages and poor infrastructure.
“The current policy creates an imbalance in the hospital-to-population ratio, leading to inequitable access to medical education and healthcare,” the report cautions.
Faculty Crunch & Infrastructure Gaps
The aggressive rollout of medical colleges has outpaced faculty availability, leading to subpar education. According to the National Medical Commission (NMC), nearly 40 per cent of colleges face faculty shortages, failing to meet minimum teaching requirements.
Additionally, many new institutions lack essential infrastructure, including hospitals, labs, and libraries, leaving students ill-equipped for real-world challenges.
“Without addressing faculty shortages and infrastructure gaps, we risk producing underqualified doctors who may struggle to meet India’s healthcare demands,” warns a medical education expert.
The policy aims to improve healthcare access, but overburdened district hospitals doubling as teaching institutions are struggling. With already limited staff and resources, many hospitals find it difficult to balance patient care with medical education.
“Upgrading district hospitals is a double-edged sword—it improves infrastructure but also adds pressure on an already stretched system,” says a healthcare administrator.
Quality Over Quantity
To prevent a diploma mill crisis, the Committee recommends:
- Strategic college distribution based on population density, not just district quotas.
- Higher salaries & incentives to attract specialists to rural areas.
- Stricter faculty hiring standards to maintain education quality.
- Increased health spending (currently at 1.84 per cent of GDP, well below the 2.5 per cent National Health Policy target).
The "One District, One Medical College" policy is a bold move, but without strategic planning, it risks churning out doctors without adequate training. As the Parliamentary Committee aptly puts it, “Healthcare is not just about building hospitals and colleges; it’s about ensuring every citizen has access to quality care, regardless of where they live.”
