The Medical Council of India has increased a total of 4542 MBBS seats in 21 new and 33 existing medical colleges during the academic year 2011-12. In a written reply, the Minister for Health and Family Welfare Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad informed the Rajya Sabha that in order to increase the number of Postgraduate seats in medical colleges, Central Government has taken various initiatives including change in teacher-student ratio from 1:1 to 1:2. The Minister said, these initiatives have resulted in increase of approximately 6400 additional Post Graduate seats in various disciplines in medical colleges during the last two academic years 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Mr. Azad further informed that approximately 4000 more PG seats are envisaged to be increased, under the scheme for strengthening and up-gradation of State Government Medical Colleges for starting new PG disciplines and increasing PG seats by central funding.