New Delhi, Sep 25 : Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor on Thursday welcomed the Central government's decision to expand capacity in government medical colleges with addition of more than 10,000 medical seats over the next few years and said that this will go a long way in transforming the indigenous medical landscape while preventing 'brain drain'.

The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi, on Wednesday approved an ambitious Rs 15,034 crore proposal for adding 5,023 new MBBS seats and 5,000 PG seats.

This came as part of Phase-Ill of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for strengthening and upgradation of existing state government, central government medical colleges, standalone PG institutes and government hospitals.

The move is expected to substantially augment the healthcare workforce by offering an opportunity to thousands of aspiring doctors to pursue medical careers within the country.

Lauding the government's nod to the game-changer move, Shashi Tharoor said, 'Government of India's decision to add 10,023 new undergraduate and postgraduate seats in government medical colleges over the next four years is a significant and welcome step.'

He said that for too long, the immense shortage of affordable seats has forced countless aspiring doctors from middle-class families to study abroad, often to countries with questionable educational standards.

'This move is crucial for providing affordable quality medical education within the country and preventing the drain of talent and resources,' the Congress MP stressed.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP also urged the government to continue this capacity expansion to match the growing demand from those who cannot afford private medical education.

Tharoor said that it was essential to ensure that medical dreams of young Indians aren't crushed by the lack of affordable seats.

Notably, India's healthcare education and workforce infrastructure has seen significant growth in recent years. As of today, India has 808 medical colleges, highest among the world with total intake capacity of 1,23,700 MBBS seats.

In the last one decade, over 69,352 new MBBS seats were added, registering a growth of 127 per cent.

/IANS