India, Sept. 16 -- The state medical education department has permitted the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) to set up a 50-seat graduate medical college on its premises at the ESIC Hospital in Andheri East. ESIC regional director Abhilasha Jha said that the first batch would be admitted in the academic year 2025-26 and the fees would be Rs.24,000 per year, one of the lowest anywhere. This will be the first central government organisation to start a medical college in Mumbai.

The Centre has also sanctioned a 50-seat graduate medical college in GT Hospital. Mumbai currently has government and civic medical colleges in Nair, KEM, Sion, Cooper, and J J hospitals.

The ESIC hospital in Andheri was charred in a major fire in Decem...