Centre turns down PG seat proposals of medical colleges

JAIPUR: While the medical education department is still hopeful that it will succeed in getting the seven proposed medical colleges in the state operational by July this year, it has received a severe jolt from the Centre.
In a setback to medical education in the state, the Centre has given the thumbs down to proposals by medical colleges to start/increase the number of seats in PG (broad specialty) courses for the 2018-19 academic session after considering the recommendations by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

In a letter issued on February 28, the Centre has rejected the requests by seven government and private medical colleges to start or increase PG seats.

While the Kota Medical College had applied to increase/start seats in pathology, radiotherapy, obstetrics & gynaecology, forensic medicine, paediatrics and general medicine, the RUHS College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur, had planned to increase/start PG seats in biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, community medicine, pathology and microbiology.

The Government-run Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner, had applied for increasing or starting PG seats in pharmacology, biochemistry and anatomy, and Jhalawar Medical College in otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology and general medicine. All these requests were rejected.

According to officials, the MCI team had visited these medical colleges and found that the facilities were not up to their norms to increase PG seats or start new PG courses.

However, the Jhalawar Medical College has succeeded in getting permission to start MD (pathology) with 11 seats. A letter issued by the ministry of health and family welfare to Jhalawar Medical College on February 26 says,

“This permission to start/increase seats in the courses and admission of students will be till such time the first batch of students admitted against the course appears for the first final examination in the subject.”

Recently, the MCI had recommended 30 new post-graduate seats in various medical colleges in the state for the 2018-19 academic session.

The Union ministry of health had received recommendations from the MCI to grant permission for PG seats in four different medical colleges in the state.