Panaji: The Union health ministry has approved a new medical college in Goa with 50 MBBS seats from the 2027-28 academic year, chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday. Labour commissioner Rajesh Ajgoankar said 50% of the seats would be reserved for Goan students.The college will be Goa’s second govt medical college after Goa Medical College (GMC), which currently has an intake capacity of 200 MBBS seats, with 85% reserved under the state quota. The National Medical Commission (NMC) regulates medical college intake based on prescribed norms and infrastructure requirements. GMC has reached its permitted intake under the existing norms and cannot increase its seats without substantial infrastructure upgrades.In July, state govt handed over the ESI Hospital in Margao to the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), under the Union ministry of labour and employment, through a memorandum of understanding (MoU).Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union health minister JP Nadda for the approval, Sawant said the new medical college would bring hope to aspiring doctors in Goa.ESIC had initiated the process of establishing a medical college on the premises of ESI Hospital in Margao, with admissions initially expected to begin in the 2026-27 academic year. A central ESIC team under the Union ministry of labour and employment inspected the site and completed procedural formalities early this year.Reacting to Sawant’s announcement, social worker Prabhav Naik said the proposed medical college should be established at South Goa District Hospital. He said this would give govt an opportunity to upgrade the hospital to tertiary-care status. “The vacant floors of the existing govt hospital should be utilised for the college. This would benefit both medical students and patients across South Goa,” said Naik.State govt mooted the proposal for a new medical college in 2024, and it had been awaiting the Centre’s approval. “It was under active consideration, and the green signal has now been given,” a govt official said. He added that admissions could begin in the 2027-28 academic year once all clearances are obtained.The proposed college will be managed by ESIC. State govt plans to provide additional land to facilitate the future expansion of the college and hospital.
