NMC Rejects Karnataka's Proposals for Three New Government Medical Colleges

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has rejected the Karnataka government's proposals to establish new government medical colleges in Ramanagara, Kanakapura, and Bagalkote districts. The rejection is primarily due to the non-appointment of required teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as insufficient infrastructure and building development.

The state's Medical Education Department has announced plans to complete the recruitment process as soon as possible and submit a fresh proposal to the NMC by October 2026 to secure permission for these colleges.

This development marks a setback after four years of efforts. The previous BJP government had transferred the sanctioned medical college from Kanakapura to Chikkaballapur. The current Congress government, which came to power in 2023, has been working to establish a medical college in Kanakapura. Initially, the government planned to set up a college on the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) campus in Ramanagara in 2023-24, but later shifted that plan to Kanakapura. Following strong opposition, the government announced separate colleges for Ramanagara and Kanakapura.

Proposals were submitted to the NMC for medical colleges in Ramanagara in collaboration with the district hospital and in Kanakapura with the taluk hospital, but were rejected due to lack of staff. A similar attempt in 2024-25 also failed. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, then Deputy Chief Minister, had directed that permission be sought for 2025-26 after completing staff recruitment and basic facilities.

After the latest rejection, the state cabinet decided to proceed with a medical college only in Kanakapura, where construction has already begun. Meanwhile, the new campus of RGUHS near Archakarahalli in Ramanagara, costing about ₹600 crore, is 70% complete. The government had planned to start a medical college using the district hospital there. In Bagalkote, building work is finished and awaiting inauguration.

The delay in recruitment is partly attributed to implementation of internal reservation policies. Dr. B.L. Sujatha Rathod, Director of Medical Education, stated that the NMC has withheld permission due to unfilled direct posts. The state recently permitted new recruitments, which will expedite the process. A revised proposal will be submitted by October 2026, by which time construction at the RGUHS campus in Ramanagara is expected to be complete.

Additionally, as per the state budget announcement, proposals are being prepared for new medical colleges in Puttur (Dakshina Kannada), Kolar, and Vijayapura districts.