The Punjab government has approved the establishment of seven new medical colleges across the state, a move expected to add around 600 MBBS seats and significantly expand access to medical education.

Announcing the decision recently, Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh said the new institutions will be developed through a mix of government funding, public-private partnership (PPP) models, and private and minority initiatives.

Among the projects, construction of the Shaheed Udham Singh State Institute of Medical Sciences in Hoshiarpur is set to begin on March 20 and is expected to be completed by March 2028. 

The institute has received administrative approval of ₹274.75 crore and will include a 300-bed hospital along with a medical college offering an annual intake of 100 MBBS students.

Singh said the state government managed to reduce the project cost from an earlier estimate of ₹550 crore to about ₹274 crore after reviewing the design and expenditure plan, saving nearly ₹250 crore in public funds.

Another government medical college is planned in Kapurthala, where the tendering process has already been completed and construction work will commence soon, the minister said.

Two additional colleges will be developed under the PPP model in Sangrur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, with the tendering process currently underway.

The expansion also includes minority-run institutions. A Jain minority medical college will be set up at Lehragaga in Sangrur district, for which the state has leased land after signing a memorandum of understanding. 

A Muslim minority medical college is proposed in Malerkotla, and its detailed project report has been submitted to the Centre for approval.

In addition, a private medical college is coming up near Ludhiana.

The minister said the new institutions are expected to substantially increase the state’s medical education capacity and reduce the need for students to pursue medical degrees in countries such as Ukraine, China, and Nepal.

Punjab currently has 13 medical colleges offering about 1,900 MBBS seats. With the addition of the new institutions, the total intake is projected to rise by around 600 seats.

Singh also noted that existing government medical colleges in Patiala, Amritsar, and Faridkot are being upgraded to offer postgraduate programmes and super-speciality services.

Officials said the Hoshiarpur institute will include a five-storey hospital building and a three-storey academic block equipped with modern laboratories, a library, and a 500-seat auditorium. 

The hospital will provide services across multiple specialities, including intensive care, general surgery, orthopaedics and psychiatry, supported by advanced diagnostic facilities such as MRI and CT scan units.