Bengaluru cardiologist on private vs govt medical college for MBBS or PG education

In the high-stakes world of Indian medical education, the debate between government and private colleges is long-standing, and recently, it reignited on social media. But beyond just fees and entrance ranks, what truly shapes a good doctor? Is it clinical exposure, teaching quality, or something deeper? A series of tweets by doctors has sparked a nuanced conversation, revealing how medical training in India is far more complex than the “private vs government” binary suggests.

It all began when Dr Vivek Pandey, an orthopaedic doctor and teacher, took to Twitter to share a troubling observation from his OPD. He asked basic clinical questions about nerve weakness to an intern and two first-year postgraduates — all of whom couldn’t answer. Despite their competitive entrance scores and coaching experience, the students were unable to respond without multiple-choice prompts. “Something has terribly gone wrong with our medical education system,” he tweeted, noting that easy access to information via apps like ChatGPT or Grok hasn't translated into clinical competence.

A user responded bluntly, pointing to the fact that these students were from a top private medical college. The user wrote, "Had they studied well, they wouldn't be paying crores for a seat” in a private university. But Dr Pandey was quick to defend his students. “Don’t judge my kids,” he replied, explaining that many miss out on government seats by just a few marks in an intensely competitive, reservation-heavy system, leaving private colleges as the only practical option. “They aren’t dumb. Most are good and hardworking. Their parents have earned the money to ensure their kids don’t lose years chasing a seat.” He added that top-quality doctors also emerge from private institutions and that "only greats manage govt seats" is a myth.


This back-and-forth triggered a wider discussion. One user, reflecting on personal experience, stressed that clinical competence stems from training in government hospitals, where students work under renowned faculty and face a heavy patient load, giving them unmatched hands-on experience. “Clinical training happens in wards, not in AC classrooms,” they wrote.

Bengaluru cardiologist Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy joined the conversation, striking a balanced note. “Teaching should happen in wards,” he agreed, but added that not all government colleges are ideal.


“Many have no one to guide students.” He added that most of the time, they are on their own and only a few medical colleges, both government and private, offer truly good teaching.” He concluded by saying that not all government colleges are good, and not all private ones are bad.