MBBS seats increased to 1100 in GMCs of J&K
50% seats to be made available to female aspirants
Srinagar: In a significant achievement for J& K, the MBBS seats in Government Medical Colleges ( GMC) s in the UT have increased from 500 in 2018- 19 to 1100 for the current academic session- 2020- 21.
In this regard, Health & Medical Education Department has got Letter of Permission ( LoP) from National Medical Commission, New Delhi. As per the LoP, GMC Doda has been permitted to admit 100 MBBS students for the current academic session- 2020- 2021, while GMC Anantnag and GMC Baramulla have also got permission to admit second batch of 100 students, an official handout said.
Worthwhile to mention that GMC Rajouri and GMC Kathua have already got permission for second batch with intake of 115 and 100 seats respectively. With this, the total MBBS seats in J& K have now been enhanced from 500 ( 2018- 19) to 1100 ( 2020- 21), an official handout said.
The makeshift arrangements in GMC Doda to accommodate “ Lecturer Theatres, Labs, Dissection Hall, Library, Museum, Faculty rooms, Administrative block etc. have also been made ready and are fully equipped and furnished to start MBBS classes in the current academic year,” the statement said.
The main buildings of all the new GMCs are in various stages of completion and are expected to be ready for use in the next few months, it said.
Pertinently, addition of 115 MBBS students this year will make 1100 MBBS seats available in medical colleges in J& K for the aspirants of MBBS course, which is a great achievement of the UT government, the statement said. “ Also, 50 per cent of these seats shall be made available to female aspirants as per the MBBS admission policy of the UT.” It may be mentioned that Greater Kashmir had recently reported that J& K will likely have 1145 MBBS seats this year.
“ As the NEET results are out, aspirants for MBBS in J& K may be looking at 160 additional seats in pool at various medical colleges of the UT, the total available berths reaching 1145,” this paper had reported while quoting J& K Government.
Financial Commissioner ( FC) Health and Medical Education ( H& ME), Atal Dulloo had told Greater Kashmir that the approval for 100 additional MBBS seats in GMC Doda was expected from Medical Council of India ( MCI). “ In addition, 15 seats are expected to increase in GMC Anantnag, Baramulla, Rajouri and Kathua,” he had said.
The FC had said that all the requisite criteria for enhancement of seats had been fulfilled and MCI “ was satisfied” to allow increase in intake.
Dulloo had said that the process for starting MBBS in two AIIMS in J& K, Vijaypur and Awantipora, was also underway.
In June 2019, Medical Council of India approved 400 additional seats for four new medical colleges in J& K – Baramulla, Anantnag, Rajouri and Kathua. GMC Doda was not accorded approval due to its incomplete infrastructure.
The five new medical colleges in J& K had been allotted in 2012, however, were incomplete till 2019.
