PANAJI
In a significant boost to Goa’s medical education landscape, the Central government has accorded its consent for establishing a second government-run medical college in the State.
The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has initiated the process to set up the medical college at the ESI Hospital premises in Margao, with admissions for 50 MBBS seats likely to begin from the academic year 2026–27.
This will be the second government medical college in Goa after the Goa Medical College (GMC), one of the oldest medical institutes in the country. GMC currently has an intake capacity of 200 MBBS seats, with 85 per cent reserved under the State quota.
A Central ESIC team under the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment is presently in Goa to conduct site inspections and complete procedural formalities.
“The proposal was mooted by the State government last year and was awaiting the Centre’s approval. It was under active consideration, and the green signal has now been given. Authorities are working to secure the remaining statutory permissions,” government sources said adding that if all clearances are obtained by the end of this month, admissions could commence from the 2026–27 academic year.
The proposed medical college will be managed by ESIC, with the State government planning to provide additional land to facilitate future expansion of both the college and hospital facilities.
Sources said the institution will initially offer 50 MBBS seats, with 50 per cent reserved for Goan students. With the National Medical Commission (NMC) currently restricting approvals beyond 150 seats per medical college, GMC has reached its maximum permissible intake under existing guidelines and is unable to expand further without substantial infrastructure upgrades.
“The government had moved a proposal in June last year to increase GMC’s intake from 200 to 250 seats, but the proposal is yet to be considered due to infrastructure requirements. We were fortunate to receive approval for 200 seats,” sources said.
Sources at Goa University confirmed that ESIC has made informal communication with the varsity seeking the necessary affiliation. “They have been advised to follow the prescribed procedure and are currently in the process of submitting the application,” the sources said.
The State government had earlier explored the possibility of establishing a private medical college in South Goa to reduce travel time to GMC and ease the growing patient and student load. The proposal to set up the facility at the new South Goa District Hospital, however, was later dropped following opposition.
