On the recommendation of the Medical Council of India (MCI), the Health Ministry has barred 82 medical colleges in the country to admit students for the academic session 2018-19.

The MCI has pointed out various "deficiencies" in the colleges on the basis of its inspections of these medical institutes. It highlighted inadequate infrastructure, faculty and resources as some of the major reasons. "The medical colleges have been denied permissions to admit students for the academic session 2018-19 on the basis of the recommendations of the MCI which during its inspection to the colleges observed various deficiencies in terms of inadequate infrastructure, faculty and resources among others," a government official said.

The order of banning 82 medical colleges, which includes 70 private and 12 government, means more than 10,000 MBBS seats out of the total 64,000 available will be blocked. Also, the proposal of giving approval to 68 new medical colleges including 31 government and 37 private, has been rejected, the official said. In February, the Union cabinet had approved plans to set up 24 new government-funded medical colleges by 2021-22, besides 58 others medical colleges that were to be established and attached to district hospitals by 2019.