Allied Healthcare (GAHC)

In a first, the Calcutta High Court has permitted a physically disabled student from Malda in West Bengal to study medicine, realizing his dream of becoming a doctor.

Prasanta Mondal, who was affected by polio in his childhood, has just three and a half working fingers on each of his hands. Notwithstanding the handicap, he passed his Higher Secondary exams and cleared the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) with his partially developed fingers. He attained an All India Rank of 1,61,404 and a PwBD category rank of 3,627.

His dreams were put on hold when Kolkata's SSKM Hospital, following a physical evaluation, ruled him ineligible for studying medicine. The hospital report mentioned that he could not grip surgical instruments such as scalpels and scissors, and on this ground, he was refused verification of admission.

Undeterred to abandon the case, Mondal shifted the Calcutta High Court against SSKM's report. A one-man bench headed by Justice Biswajit Basu ordered a second test at AIIMS Mumbai.

The AIIMS panel held that though his health presented difficulties, it would not hinder him from pursuing medicine.

Moving on this report, Justice Basu directed the authorities to grant Mondal's verification and admission under PwBD quota. Mondal's lawyer, advocate Sarwar Jahan, stated that his client's persistence has now been vindicated.

The court also questioned seriously SSKM's evaluations. Referring to an identical case concerning Chandan Majhi of Purulia, who is in a wheelchair and was also found unfit by SSKM but cleared subsequently by a hospital in Delhi, Justice Basu said, "This is not the first time SSKM hospital has rejected clearance where other premier centers like AIIMS or other Delhi hospitals have done so. Why this consistent disparity? Is SSKM hospital superior to all others?"

With this court verdict, Prasanta Mondal, who has an aspiration to become a doctor, can now start his MBBS journey.

Healthcare is not just a career but a calling, an act of self-sacrifice, a voyage of passion, purpose, and a sense of responsibility that extends way beyond a paycheck. The mindset of many Indian healthcare workers, from top doctors to nurses and allied professionals, proves that for them, saving lives comes before personal benefit or material gain.

The Spirit of Indian Doctors

There are many instances in India where doctors put their comfort and even their lives at risk to protect and care for their patients. Recently, Major Simrat Rajdeep Singh, an Army physician, saved a critically ill passenger on an IndiGo flight by resuscitating him and ensuring his safe hospitalization, demonstrating true dedication driven by duty, not fame or money. Another case of a doctor who injected the drip in his foot after passing out in the OT, just to keep the operation going to save his patient. Similarly, AIIMS doctors saved the life of a two-year-old girl in a life-threatening condition during a commercial flight by working together under pressure to ensure her survival. Such instances are indicative of a calling- whereby, a wish to serve and heal takes precedence over self-benefit.

Nurses: Courage Under Crisis

There is no other recent example that describes the calling of healthcare like the viral video of Aditya Hospital of Assam during the September 2025 earthquake. The video of this selfless act is going viral on social media gaining all the praise and applause. The video showed when strong tremors shook the hospital building, CCTV cameras captured two nurses in the NICU immediately covering newborn babies rather than rushing to their own safety or hesitating to stay back.  Their first reflex was saving the babies and not themselves. They were not driven by self-preservation, but rather by the security of the least strong. These courageous nurses are getting all the blessings from across the country, and are being called true Indian nurses. 

Importance of Allied Healthcare Workers

Healthcare is a team effort. The allied professionals, such as physiotherapists, lab technicians, dietitians, and occupational therapists, work both behind the scenes and at the bedside, performing critical roles in patient recovery, chronic care, diagnostics, rehabilitation, and daily support. They also help bridge the gaps in healthcare access in remote and rural areas, providing essential support during emergencies and routine care alike. Their hard work benefits doctors and nurses, enhancing the results and providing the environment of care in which each patient matters.

Best Practices That Establish Healthcare

These examples and stories show that healthcare is indeed more than a profession, it is a calling that is motivated by:

• Compassion and care for patients indifferent to their financial background. 
• A strong sense of responsibility towards the society, particularly during crises.
• A desire to heal, comfort, and empower patients and families.
• Willingness to work long hours, take risks and make sacrifices in the process of serving others.

Healthcare is not just a profession, it is a service-oriented profession built on service, sacrifice, and doing what is right. From the doctors carrying out essential operations beyond the hospital, to the nurses saving lives of unborn during a disaster and the individuals in the profession that assist in the provision of care in the villages and cities, and all the healthcare workers whose stories we don’t know, their spirit is what builds a healthier and more humane society with each passing day.

India's premier medical education regulator approved a gross increase of 6,850 MBBS seats in 2025-26 which can raise the intake for the highly coveted undergraduate medical degree course across the nation to 123,700.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) further suspended about 2,000 seats across the country for non-compliance with certain norms, and the colleges have been given an opportunity to plug gaps so that these seats can be made available, government officials familiar with the matter said anonymously.

This sudden hike in MBBS (bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery) seats by the NMC will increase admission possibilities for the over 12.3 lakh students who cleared the NEET-UG 2025 test. These new seats have been created in new as well as old government and private medical colleges, the above-quoted government officials and documents with Mint reported.

NEET-UG stands for National Eligibility Entrance Test-Undergraduate, which is conducted by the National Testing Agency for admissions to undergraduate medical courses, even at the high-profile All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. The counselling for NEET still goes on and the admission process keeps on going on.

The NMC data, as seen by Mint, for MBBS seat Matrix for the year 2025-26 shows a staggering rise in medical education infrastructure. The report showed a total of 6,850 new seats have been made available for this year.

These new seats are spread across 13 new government colleges with 1,050 seats, and 32 existing government colleges with 1,080 additional seats. In the private sector (societies and trusts), there were 10 new colleges approved with 1,200 seats, and 28 existing colleges with 1,515 additional seats.

Questions sent to the health ministry via email remained unresolved until press time.

Seat allocations by state

New government medical colleges have also been approved in the states of Kerala (Kasaragod Government Medical College, 50 seats) and Uttar Pradesh (ESIC Medical College, Noida, 50 seats).

Similarly, new private colleges like Anna Gowri Medical College and Hospital in Andhra Pradesh (100 seats) and Balvir Singh Tomar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Rajasthan (150 seats) have also been approved.

Besides that, a number of existing medical colleges were also permitted to increase their intakes. Some of them include Assam Medical College, whose seats were increased from 200 to 250, and Madhubani Medical College in Bihar, which increased by 100 seats to become capable of holding 250.

Regulatory control and cost impact

"This climb is a major move by the government to meet the growing demand for healthcare professionals and improve the quality of medical education by providing more opportunities of clinical training and practice. The NMC, being the central regulator, ensures the quality of medical education," a senior government official familiar with the development said.

"Undergraduate students welcome the hike, which is a relief for them as it offers a more cost-effective and cheaper way to build up a medical professional in India," the official added.

While the NMC gives a regulation of fees, wherein at most 50% of the private institution's and identified university's seats should be comparable to government medical college fees of the respective state, fees remain astronomical. The Economic Survey 2024-25 recorded the cost of an MBBS degree in private institutions ranging from ₹60 lakh to over ₹1 crore, which sweeps 48% of the overall MBBS seats.

Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, MD at Aakash Healthcare, felt that India doesn't have enough doctors and there are too many people who still harbor the dream of becoming a doctor. "Doubling the seats will certainly fill this vacuum and make the country's medical system strong," he felt.

Another government official stated that only after "diligent vigilance and scrutiny" was the number of seats increased. "If 100 seats were asked for by some colleges, only 50 seats were allotted. Firmness has increased," said the official, repeating that the government is thinking about means of acquiring good faculty members.

National president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) with an estimated 3.5 lakh member doctors all over India, Dr. Dilip Bhanushali had a different outlook. In his view, "raising seats will not help to better medical education. India needs robust medical education infrastructure, and more qualified faculties in the colleges." He even protested about significant positions on the NMC have not been filled up yet despite repeated requests.

This announcement follows a letter of 22 August 2025 (Ministry registration No. 1014543) seeking clarification regarding the Medical Doctor (MD) education program; Ref.: MES4250001082588 — 05 September 2025 - LLC Georgian National University – SEU.

Georgia's medical education quality assurance system is entirely in accordance with international as well as national requirements and standards. All Medical Doctor (MD) educational programs already functioning in the country have been accredited by the LEPL National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement (NCEQE), which, in turn, received recognition from the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) for 10 years in 2018.

In accordance, the assessment of medical programs in Georgia is entirely consistent with WFME procedures and standards, and those of the World Health Organization (WHO) requirements, which guarantee worldwide recognition of qualification and degrees of Medical Doctor (MD) education program granted in Georgia. As a result, diplomas awarded in Georgia are accepted by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and graduates may sit for USMLE exams in the US to begin preparation for post-diploma (residency).

The MD program in Georgia is six years long (360 ECTS). There are theoretical courses and also clinical and practical training. The sixth year is devoted completely to a compulsory internship (internatura). The content and structure of the program are completely in accordance with international norms and is equivalent to the MBBS programs of India and the United Kingdom.

Under Georgia's Medical Practice Law, candidates who have graduated from Medical Doctor (MD) education program (both national and foreign students) are entitled to be engaged as junior doctors without taking an additional examination. Junior doctors work under the leadership of certified specialists; nevertheless, in cases of emergencies, they can provide medical assistance on their own.

Based on the law, Medical Doctor (MD) graduates of the education program are entitled to professional rights regardless of their citizenship status. They can practice as junior doctors in Georgia, and this is wholly consistent with the needs of the National Medical Commission (NMC). Besides, Georgia's medical education system is comprehensively in sync with India's National Medical Commission (NMC) Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations of 2021. Medical Doctor (MD) graduates of the medical education program are permitted to appear for NExT/FMGE exams and resume professional practice in India.

Moreover, all Georgian students—both local and international—are enrolled in the LEPL Education Management Information System (EMIS), which is run by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Youth of Georgia. The register keeps records of all students and graduates of the Medical Doctor (MD) education program.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch a national campaign titled “Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan” on 17th September. It will be a significant public health campaign that will coincide with the beginning of the 8th National Poshan Mash (Nutrition Month) in an attempt to improve the health and nutrition of women and children in India.

More than 1 Lakh Health Camps in India

The Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan is a 16-day mega drive, which is the largest-ever health outreach in the history of India to target women and children. It is planned to organise over 1 lakh health camps in Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Community Health Centres (CHCs), district hospitals, and other government health facilities.

These camps will offer screening tests and check-up of non-communicable ailments such as cancers, anemia, tuberculosis and sickle cell disease. Women and children will be provided with free specialist services (gynaecology, paediatrics, eye, ENT, dental, dermatology, and psychiatry) through medical colleges and major hospital networks (including AIIMS, Defence, Railways, ESIC, CGHS centres, and partners).

Joint Effort in Health and Nutrition

The campaign is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD). Both ministries will generate awareness on healthy dieting, disease prevention, and the significance of frequent checkups. Poshan Maah related activities like nutrition counselling, recipe demonstration, menstrual hygiene, and balanced diet and anaemia prevention activities will take place through Anganwadi centres and grassroots volunteers.

Particular emphasis will be placed on mother and child health, immunization, and mobilizing communities towards healthier lifestyle habits, e.g. obesity prevention campaigns and blood donation events. The large-scale campaign will be supported by community health mobilisers such as ASHAs, Anganwadi workers, youth volunteers, self-help groups, representatives of urban and rural bodies, and so forth. 

A Healthier, Stronger Bharat

Health Minister JP Nadda described this as the biggest Jan Bhagidaari (public involvement) health initiative in India, and he invited all private hospitals and health professionals to take part in the drive. The campaign highlights the vision of the government to have a healthier, nutrition-strong, and empowered India by 2047.

Why This Campaign in India

Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar' and Poshan Maah mark a new milestone in the public health, particularly of women and children. The fact that the focus is on free testing, lifestyle awareness, prevention of anemia, and nutrition will make sure that the campaign will reach even the most underserved families. 

The expected members of the parliament, state ministers, and leaders of the local communities are expected to be actively engaged in the process, which enhances the healthy, empowered family drive in India.  

For more info about the latest updates and steps, visit the official PBI Communication website or visit any nearby government health facilities from 17th September to 2nd October.

On Saturday, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raipur inaugurated the first robotic surgery system in Central India. The presence of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai who officially opened the facility called Dev Hast in the government health institution marked this historic moment.

High Tech Revolutionizing Surgery

The new robotic surgery system, equipped with the state-of-the-art da Vinci Xi Surgical System, is designed to help surgeons perform minimally invasive procedures with greater precision and safety. This advanced technology will enable patients to have shorter recovery periods, reduced pain and extended stays in the hospital.

Chief Minister Sai personally performed the first dry lab dissection to usher in this milestone, highlighting the significance of this development. He said, "this robotic surgery system will benefit not only the people of Chhattisgarh but also patients from neighbouring states seeking expert care at AIIMS Raipur.”

The system opens a new era in the public healthcare in the region, making high-tech treatment more convenient and prompt.

An Academic Medical Center

Besides treating patients, the facility will be an academic center of excellence. It contains the latest simulation platforms such as SimNow, which offers graduate and postgraduate and resident doctors with the practical training and research experience in robotic assisted surgeries. The preliminary areas of surgeries are Urology, General Surgery, ENT, and Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Lt. Gen. (Retd.) The Executive Director of AIIMS Raipur, Dr. Ashok Jindal, owed a debt of gratitude to the government and made it a point to note that the robotic surgery program is geared towards empowering the patient to the fullest and creating future-surgical experts.

Reforms on the way to improved healthcare infrastructure

Another development announced by Chief Minister Sai was the construction of an all equipped parijan niwas at AIIMS Raipur to house relatives of patients around the state and beyond. He bragged about the healthcare development of Chhattisgarh, how the state had grown one medical college to 15 in the time since its establishment.

Moreover, the state is determined to provide world-class healthcare by establishing a 5,000-bed super-specialty Medicity in Nava Raipur.

The Importance of this to Central Indian Patients 

In the years before the introduction of “Dev Hast", patients requiring robotic surgeries were forced to commute to metro cities in order to seek medical care. This facility has now taken affordable and advanced medical services nearer to the house and hence the families are not overwhelmed, and high quality is now offered in the region.