With MCI nod to 6 new MCs, Tamil Nadu to have more than 8000 MBBS seats

Chennai: The Medical Council of India (MCI) has given its approval for the establishment of 6 government medical colleges adding 900 MBBS seats in the state of Tamil Nadu. With this the total count of MBBS seats would be seen crossing the 8000 mark.

As of July 2019, the state is reported to have had 7150 MBBS seats across 49 Medical colleges. Of these 3400 MBBS seats are in 26 government medical colleges while 3750 MBBS seats are there in the state 23 private medical institutes. Recently MCI visited 6 government Medical colleges and gave its nod for establishments. According to a notification on the matter, the GMCs will be set up in Tirupur, Nilgiris, Ramanathapuram, Namakkal, Dindigul and Virudhunagar

The confirmation to the MCI nod came via a recent announcement made by the Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar recently where he stated that the two committees of the MCI have cleared the decks for the medical colleges adding that this is probably the largest number of seats the state has been sanctioned at one go.

Following the MCI approval, the Centre also sanctioned Rs 1950 crore for the setting up of these colleges, under the centrally sponsored 60:40 scheme. As per the scheme, the central government will sponsor Rs 1,170 crore for the scheme while remaining Rs 780 crore will be put in by the state.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the Union Health Minister has approved the proposal to build 6 new medical colleges with 150 MBBS seats each in the state.

The approval from the Centre came following a proposal submitted to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan by his counterpart C Vijayabaskar pointing out the need for Government medical colleges in the unserved parts of the state and how the people have to travel for hours to visit nearest tertiary care centres.

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Vijaybaskar apprised that the state it has made all arrangements, including identification of land, for the medical colleges. The administrative building of the Hindustan Photo Films in Ooty, land in the collectorate complex in Virudhunagar, space around existing government hospital in Tirupur have been maintained for the new medical colleges. The health Ministry final approval to the medical colleges is still awaited

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However, with the approval of 6 medical colleges on one side, the state has proposed for 3 more medical colleges.

The state has planned to apply for three more medical colleges in Krishnagiri, Nagapattinam and Tiruvallur. "We are in the process of finalising land for these colleges. This should add another 450 MBBS seats and allow us to create tertiary care hospitals in the districts," the minister informed TOI.