Uttarakhand Expands Medical Education; Adds New Colleges, Nursing Seats Rise To Over 11,000

Uttarakhand has witnessed a significant expansion in medical and nursing education over the past five years, with the establishment of three new government medical colleges and three government nursing colleges during Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's tenure. The expansion aims to strengthen the state's healthcare infrastructure while creating more opportunities for young people aspiring to pursue careers in medicine and nursing.

The state currently has six operational government medical colleges in Dehradun, Haldwani, Srinagar, Almora, Pithoragarh and Haridwar. The medical colleges in Almora, Pithoragarh and Haridwar became operational during the Dhami government's tenure.

Government Medical Colleges Offer 675 MBBS Seats

The six government medical colleges collectively offer 675 MBBS seats. Construction of another medical college in Rudrapur has also been completed. Once it receives approval for 100 MBBS seats, the total capacity of government medical colleges in the state will increase to 775.

Apart from government institutions, Uttarakhand has four private medical colleges offering a combined 900 MBBS seats. AIIMS Rishikesh contributes another 125 seats, taking the state's overall MBBS capacity to approximately 1,700 seats.

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Nursing Education Receives A Major Boost

The state government has also focused on expanding nursing education to develop a skilled workforce for the healthcare sector. Since July 2021, three government nursing colleges have been established, adding 321 seats across courses such as BSc Nursing and MSc Nursing.

Uttarakhand currently has 879 seats in government nursing institutions and 10,616 seats in private institutions. This takes the total nursing education capacity across the state to 11,495 seats.

Nursing Students Get Overseas Employment Opportunities

Alongside expanding educational infrastructure, Uttarakhand is also working to connect nursing students with international employment opportunities through foreign language training programmes.

The initiative has already helped candidates secure jobs overseas. In 2023, a total of 60 candidates from two batches secured employment in Japan. In 2025, another 13 candidates received employment opportunities in Germany.

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Rs 225 Crore Additional Allocation For Healthcare

To strengthen healthcare services and medical education, the state government has allocated an additional Rs 225 crore through the supplementary budget, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said.

Of this amount, Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the Atal Ayushman Yojana, which provides eligible beneficiaries with cashless medical treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh. Another Rs 125 crore has been allocated to the Golden Card scheme, which offers cashless healthcare facilities to state government employees.

Additionally, approximately Rs 160 crore has been allocated towards strengthening medical education infrastructure. The funds will support development work at the Pithoragarh and Rudrapur medical colleges, along with nursing institutions.

Government Focuses On Expanding Healthcare Access

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the government's priority is to improve healthcare facilities across Uttarakhand while ensuring that young people have greater opportunities to pursue medical and nursing education within the state.

He added that the establishment of new medical and nursing institutions, investments in healthcare infrastructure and expansion of cashless treatment schemes reflect the government's commitment to developing a stronger and more accessible healthcare system.