"Let us create the India model of medical education that defines paradigm of accessible, affordable, credible and quality education", Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday as he interacted with representatives of 150 private medical colleges across the country.

In the first such kind of interaction, the minister spent almost three hours listening to feedback, suggestions, insights and queries of representatives of these medical colleges, a health ministry statement said.

"It is only with 'Samvaad' that we can build an eco-system where the government and other stakeholders in medical education move ahead in an environment of consent and consultation. A strengthened medical education sector is one of the crucial pillars in this," Mandaviya said.

The representatives raised issues and proffered suggestions related to NEET PG, NEXTT, admissions, retirement age of faculty, journal publications, bond for rural posting, district residency program, super specialty courses, internship in community medicine, less faculty in some streams such as forensics, etc, the statement said.

Mandaviya urged the private medical colleges to come forward in a spirit of partnership to co-create a vibrant and energetic medical education sector in the country. "Let us create the 'India Model' of medical education that defines paradigm of accessible, affordable, credible and quality medical education," he said.

He referred to the new initiatives of 'Heal in India' and 'Heal by India', saying "India envisions to lead in the global arena on the strength of its medical sector not only to meet the domestic requirements but also meet the global demand of highly skilled and trained manpower, and quality medical and healthcare and wellness services."

Highlighting that health always been viewed as a 'sewa' in the country, the minister expressed anguish at those medical colleges that have become "merely businesses to the exclusion of 'sewa bhaav' deeply embedded in the Indian ethos", the statement said.