No increase in MBBS seats in 37 years
Wednesday, 06/06/2012
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120606/punjab.htm#6
Not even a single seat has been increased in government medical colleges in Punjab in the past 37 years. But on the other hand, a number of seats have been increased in private medical colleges in the state.
In two neighbouring states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh the situation is different. In Haryana, there were only 100 seats in Government Medical College at Rohtak in 1975 and it was the only government-owned medical college in the state at that time. But presently, there are two government medical colleges with 300 seats.
Similarly in HP, a new medical college has been established at Tanda and seats have been increased in Shimla Medical College from 65 to 100. Even in the new medical college at Tanda, seats have been increased from 50 to100.
In Punjab, earlier there were 360 seats (150 each in Government Medical College at Patiala and Amritsar and 60 seats in government medical college at Faridkot). But instead of making any increase, there was a reduction of 10 seats in Faridkot medical college. On the other hand, in private medical colleges in Punjab, two colleges made an increase of 75 seats in the last one-year.
The Government Medical College in Faridkot had sent a proposal to the Medical Council of India in April this year to increase the number of seats from 50 to 100 from the next academic session but the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, the regulator and controller of this college, is not too keen to focus on this increase of seats.
“Instead of increasing seats at the graduation level (MBBS), the BFUHS is more interested in post-graduation and super speciality (MD and DM) courses in medical education,” said Dr SS Gill, Vice Chancellor of the university. “We have already made a difference in the last two years. In 2010, there were only nine seats in four PG courses in the Faridkot medical college. But presently, we are providing 16 PG courses and the number of seats has been increased from nine to 36,” said the VC.
“We have started a neuro-surgery department and are hopeful of starting super-speciality courses in neuro-surgery in the coming months,” he said. “In AIIMS, there are only 50 seats since 1956 and there is no graduation-level medical course in PGI,” said the VC.
