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Telangana leads larger states in med seat ratio

HYDERABAD: Telangana leads larger states in the ratio of medical seats, with 238 seats per 10 lakh people, despite ranking fifth nationally in total seats. This milestone was detailed in the provisional list of medical seats recently released by the National Medical Council (NMC).

While Karnataka has the highest total number of seats (12,545), its ratio stands at only 184 seats per 10 lakh population. This disparity gained significance after the NMC's 2022 proposal to limit undergraduate medical seats to 100 per 10 lakh population to address regional healthcare disparities. However, this regulation has been postponed until 2025 due to political resistance, notably from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Telangana hosts 65 medical colleges 36 govt-run and 29 private with eight new govt colleges approved last year. However, medical professionals have voiced concerns about the aggressive expansion of colleges, citing inadequate infrastructure and faculty recruitment.

“Dr Ranga Reddy Burri, chairman of Public Health & Community Services, IMA Telangana, highlighted an uneven doctor distribution favoring urban areas, despite Telangana nearly meeting the WHO-recommended ratio of 1:1000. "This uneven growth is already impacting the career prospects of existing doctors. Unless there is a clear plan to strengthen primary healthcare by effectively integrating these young doctors into the system, this expansion risks becoming a serious setback for both the state and the health of its people”

Dr .Ranga Reddy Burri

Dr .Ranga Reddy Burri, President, Infection Control Academy of India, said the evolving patent landscape had far-reaching implications for public health and access to medicines. The recent amendments to the Indian Patent Rules could significantly impact global health security, particularly for the Global South, he added.

The group of countries located in the Southern Hemisphere are generally called Global South and are seen as less developed, or developing than those in the Global North. They include Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia (excluding Israel, Japan, and South Korea), and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand).

“As the world continues to reel from the aftermath of COVID-19, which exposed deep fractures in health equity—not only in India and other low- and middle-income countries but also in the Global North—it is imperative to view these regulatory shifts through a public health lens,’‘ he said.

Telangana Teaching Govt Doctors Association (TTGDA) general secretary, Dr Kiran Madala, pointed out faculty shortages, especially at the assistant professor level. "There is a dire need to recruit more faculty. Multiple openings remain vacant. The focus should be on strengthening human resources rather than building so many colleges," he stated.

Even premier colleges like Osmania Medical College and Gandhi Medical College suffer from infrastructure and faculty deficits.