‘Addl PG seats not a big relief, may increase medical edu cost’

Nagpur: The central government’s decision to revise the student-teacher ratio in government and private medical colleges for increasing 5,000 PG medical seats in the country has received mixed reactions from the medical fraternity.
Undergraduate students are happy as they will be getting more number of PG seats to claim by 2020-21. “Currenly, aspiring MBBS doctors are facing dearth of PG seats with a bleak ratio of approximately 1 PG seat for every 4 UG students. Moreover, after implementation of two new reservation quotas, cut-offs to PG streams are expected to go up by about 50% this year. So, adding some seats will give deserving students an opportunity to go for specialization,” said Sameer Deshmukh, an MBBS student from Nagpur.

“However, the number of additional PG seats depends on the approach of respective medical colleges. How many colleges apply for additional seats, in how many subjects, and how many of them will get MCI approval are questions that need answers,” he added.

Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) has welcomed the decision stating that it will create future medical teachers. “It’s a good decision by MCI. There will be increase in PG degree seats and PG super-specialty seats all over India. It will enhance patient care. Besides, future medical teachers will be created as well,” said Dr Ajit Pathak, controller of examination, MUHS.

Experts in the medical education field claimed that the MCI has given more benefit to private medical colleges, which will eventually increase the cost of medical education.

“Private medical colleges existing for over 15 years will be allowed to admit as many PG students per professor and associate professor as government colleges. But private medical colleges have higher fees. They have 35% management and 15% NRI quota where fees are three to five times higher than government colleges. As 50% of additional seats will go to these quotas, the cost of PG education will surely go up,” said a senior official from the Directorate of Medical Education.

A former dean of one of the GMCs in Vidarbha asked how colleges will accommodate additional strength of PG students. “Colleges may have professors and assistant professors eligible to guide more students. But, a very few of them have accommodation facility for these students. In such cases, colleges will not apply for additional seats,” he said.

Dr Archana Kothari from Indian Medical Association said additional seats will continue injustice with open category students. “How additional seats will help open category students when these seats will also have up to 78% reservations? This is injustice to meritorious students of general category,” she said.

This year, only 233 seats are available for 2,054 MBBS doctors from open category who have qualified for PG admissions in Maharashtra. Next year, this number may touch 300 which remains inadequate as more students will clear PG-NEET.