Around 100 PG seats likely to be increased in J&K Govt Medical Colleges

Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Feb 20: Around one hundred Postgraduate seats are likely to be increased in the Government run Medical Colleges in Jammu and Kashmir from the forthcoming academic session as the Medical Council of India has offered for the same subject to availability of required infrastructure and faculty position.
“In response to the Medical Council of India’s communiqué in this regard, Principals of both the Government Medical Colleges in J&K have submitted the details of faculty position and infrastructure available with them and we are hopeful of getting an increase of around one hundred more PG seats from this session,”said Dr Mandeep K Bhandari, Commissioner/ Secretary Health and Medical Education, J&K Government.
Subject to revised student-teacher ratio, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare had requested Medical Council of India that in Government Medical Colleges in the Departments of Medicines, Surgery and OBG, which are already running PG courses, minimum of 6 PG seats and 4 PG sets in all other clinical departments may be granted effective from academic session 2017-18 as one time measure.
The increase in number of PG seats was offered following amendment in Clause 12(1) of the `Postgraduate Medical Education Regulation, 2000′ vide notification dated 31-01-2017 for revision of teacher student ratio.  As per the amendment, the students teacher ratio in public funded Government Medical Colleges, was revised to 1: 3 for Professor and 1:2 for Associate Professor.
Earlier, a Professor could take only one PG student and Associate Professor was also allowed one PG student. However, the relaxation has been extended for Government funded Medical Colleges only and would be applicable to all clinical subjects.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India had dispatched a letter to the Secretary Health and Medical Education on February 8, 2017 with the intention of granting more PG Seats  with effect from academic session 2017-18 as one time measure.
The concerned Secretary was  requested to furnish the requisite information on the availability of faculty to facilitate the decision of granting more PG  seats and this information was sought to be delivered to the Medical Council of India (MCI) by February 15, 2017,  with the request that the matter may be accorded the top most  priority.
Similarly,  on February 9, 2017, Medical Council of India  also dispatched letters to the Dean/Principal all Government Medical Colleges, the Director all PG  institutes and the Director Medical Education on the same subject and the information as per the performa was sought latest by February 15, 2017 preferably by e-mail as well as by post to enable the MCI to take further necessary action in the matter.
As the State Government failed to respond by February 15, 2017, the final reminder marked as `Most Urgent’,   was dispatched on February 16, 2017, indicating that the desired information has not reached the MCI office within the stipulated time and hence the final opportunity of submitting the required information (in the Performa) on or before February 20, 2017 was granted by the MCI.
“Keeping in view the intention of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and also the MCI, we have submitted all the required details today and the Government is hopeful of getting an increase of around one hundred PG seats this year, which would solve the problem of dearth of trained PGs and also give chance to more number of State Subjects getting selected for PG courses,” Bhandari told the Excelsior.

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