Centre Sanctions 320 New PG Medical Seats for Himachal with ₹415 Crore Grant to Ease Specialist Crunch
SHIMLA: In a decisive move aimed at overcoming the persistent shortage of specialist doctors across Himachal Pradesh's government hospitals, the Central Government has approved 320 new postgraduate medical seats across six medical colleges in the state, supported by a central grant of approximately ₹415 crore.
Announcing the decision in Shimla, Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said the expansion forms part of a broader ₹15,000 crore national initiative under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to add 10,000 medical seats across the country over five years.
The influx of postgraduate trainees is set to directly bolster specialized medical services in critical disciplines—including surgery, orthopaedics, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, and oncology—ensuring that patients in the hill state have better access to advanced care closer to their homes while creating wider academic opportunities for local medical graduates.
Under the approved allocation, Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla will receive the highest share with 91 seats, followed by 57 seats each for Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College in Tanda and Government Medical College in Hamirpur. Additionally, 55 seats have been sanctioned for the medical college at Nerchowk in Mandi, 32 for Government Medical College in Nahan, and 28 for Government Medical College in Chamba.
Nadda pointed out the swift turnaround of the sanction, noting that the state government submitted its proposal on June 23 and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu further discussed the requirement with him during the AIIMS Bilaspur convocation on October 6, culminating in the Centre clearing every single seat proposed.
While reiterating that the Centre remains fully committed to Himachal's development and youth welfare, the Union Minister urged the state government to quickly complete all regulatory and administrative formalities so the new seats can be operationalized without delay.
He also expressed concern over bottlenecks in other centrally supported initiatives, calling on the state administration to expedite the construction of pending Critical Care Blocks and Public Health Laboratories.
Referring to infrastructure hurdles, Nadda further pressed the state to resolve pending financial contributions and land availability issues holding back the Chandigarh–Baddi and Bhanupalli–Bilaspur railway projects, emphasizing that public welfare projects must not suffer due to administrative or financial delays.
#HimachalPradesh #MedicalEducation #HealthcareReform #JPNadda
