India is expanding its medical, nursing and allied healthcare workforce as it seeks to improve access to specialised care in rural, tribal and other underserved regions. The government has more than doubled the number of medical colleges from 387 in 2014 to 858 in 2026, while MBBS seats have risen from 51,348 to 1,42,464.
Postgraduate medical seats have also increased from 31,185 to 86,287. The government is targeting another 10,000 postgraduate seats by 2028–29, with priority for underserved areas and specialities facing shortages, including emergency medicine, geriatrics, psychiatry and family medicine.
Nursing capacity is being expanded through 157 new nursing colleges being established alongside existing medical colleges. These are expected to add around 15,700 nursing graduates annually. Nurse Practitioner programmes have also been introduced across 10 critical specialities. Separately, the government is targeting one lakh allied and healthcare professionals over the next five years.
The workforce push also includes measures to improve the availability and retention of specialists in difficult locations. These include competitive remuneration, difficult-area allowances, performance-linked incentives and fixed-tenure postings. Digital health platforms such as eSanjeevani and ABHA-enabled records are being used to support teleconsultations, referrals and continuity of care in remote areas.
The developments were highlighted at the 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in Timor-Leste, where member states adopted the Dili Declaration on Human Resources for Health. The declaration calls for better workforce planning, task-sharing, specialist outreach, telemedicine and digital health to address healthcare worker shortages and uneven distribution.
