Gujarat adds over 7,000 doctors annually as medical education capacity expands, says CM Bhupendra Patel

Gujarat is adding over 7,000 doctors every year as medical education capacity expands, CM Bhupendra Patel said, highlighting growth in MBBS and PG seats.

Gujarat is now adding more than 7,000 doctors every year, indicating a steady expansion of state’s medical education capacity, said Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Chief Minister was speaking at a national-level medical conference in Ahmedabad, where he highlighted role of new medical colleges and increased seat capacity in strengthening healthcare delivery across state.

According to Patel, Gujarat had only 1,175 medical seats during early phase of its medical education expansion. Since then, state has focused on setting up medical colleges in multiple districts and increasing undergraduate and postgraduate intake resulting in a sharp rise in number of graduating doctors each year.

MBBS, PG Seats Increased in past 10 years

Chief Minister said India has witnessed a good increase in medical education infrastructure over last decade. Number of medical colleges has grown from 387 to 731, while MBBS seats have increased from around 51,000 to over 1.12 lakh. During same period postgraduate medical seats rose from 31,000 to about 72,000.

He said that expansion will address doctor shortages and improve access to healthcare services, particularly in rural and semi-urban regions. At same time rapid increase in seats has renewed discussions around faculty availability, clinical exposure and infrastructure readiness, which remain major challenges for medical regulators and institutions.

Patel said Gujarat’s long-term development roadmap places healthcare and medical education among its core priorities, aligning with broader national goals of strengthening public health systems.

Rising number of medical graduates is also expected to have implications for NEET UG and NEET PG competition, internship availability and postgraduate seat demand in coming years making capacity planning a critical issue for medical education authorities.