Medical education in India is in need of significant reforms in the coming years: Anand Rathi Research

Anand Rathi Advisors predicts that demand for medical education in India will persist and key changes would be required to eliminate the system’s bottlenecks

Anand Rathi Advisors Limited (ARAL) has compiled a comprehensive report that presents all the relevant facts of India’s medical education landscape. 

ARAL claims that various issues, including lack of standardisation of fees, quota reservations, infrastructural challenges and a sub-optimal college-student ratio are dragging India’s medical education down. It is triggering an exodus of students to foreign universities.

Key highlights of the research findings:

• Despite the significant increase in MBBS seats in India, the acceptance ratio is still low due to the greater number of candidates appearing for the exam
• The higher fee structure and quota reservations contribute to deter students from pursuing medical education in India
• The government of India has introduced a slew of reforms to improve India’s medical ecosystem
• Private investment can play a significant role in improving India’s medical education sector

ARAL’s report throws up interesting statistics that point to a severe mismatch between demand for and availability of seats for aspiring students. Of seventeen (17) lakh students that appear for the examination every year, only ~80,000 secure admission for MBBS in India. The limited number of seats and a high minimum threshold for government colleges coupled with lofty fees is compelling students to pursue medical education in foreign countries. China, Ukraine, Philippines and Russia account for 60 per cent of the student outflow from India each year.

To address the challenges, various state governments are pioneering innovative initiatives. The governments of Meghalaya and of Uttar Pradesh have taken measures to set up medical colleges on PPP basis. While currently, private investment is limited to coaching and training centres, which prepare students for NEET, etc., there is scope for increased contribution from the private sector in establishing centres of academic excellence. It will mutually benefit India’s student community and private players, a win-win proposition.