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Union Health Minister Nadda said on Saturday that in the last 11 years the number of medical colleges in the country has increased from 387 to 819.
Addressing the 50th annual convocation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, Nadda said that similarly, the number of undergraduate medical seats has increased from 51,000 to 1.29 lakh and the number of postgraduate seats has increased from 31,000 to 78,000.
He said an additional 75,000 seats are expected to be added at the undergraduate and postgraduate level in the next five years.
The Health Minister congratulated the graduating students and lauded AIIMS for its unique contribution in advancing medical science, education and patient care in the country.
He called upon the young doctors to serve the people with compassion, maintain the highest standards of ethics and use innovation to meet the growing health care needs of the country.
Nadda also said the country has made considerable progress in maternal and child health, with the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) coming down from 130 to 88 and the infant mortality rate (IMR) coming down from 39 to 27, as per the Sample Registration Survey (SRS) data.
The under-five mortality rate (U5MR) and neonatal mortality rate (NMR) have also seen significant reductions of 42 per cent and 39 per cent respectively, which is higher than the global average.
Nadda further said that TB incidence in India has declined by 17.7 percent, which is more than double the global rate of 8.3 percent as reported by The Lancet report.
Concluding his address, the Health Minister requested the graduating students to actively contribute to academics and research and maintain the prestigious legacy and brand of AIIMS through excellence in their professional and ethical conduct.
He encouraged them to remain lifelong learners and innovators, committed to advancing medical science and serving society with compassion.
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