100 more PG seats to be increased in Jammu Kashmir government medical colleges

Jammu: An additional 100 post graduate seats are to be increased in the Government Medical Colleges(GMC), in Jammu and Kashmir for the coming academic session, as the medical Council of India(MCI), has agreed for the same, provided infra structural and faculty requirements are met with, as per the apex body norms.

“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 100 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(MCI), that in the GMC Departments of Medicines, Surgery and OBG, running PG courses, a minimum of 6 PG seats be granted. The Ministry had also asked for 4 PG seats in all other clinical departments, effective from academic session 2017-18, as a one time measure.

The increased 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. In accordance with the amendment, the students teacher ratio in public funded Government Medical Colleges, was raised to 1:3 for Professor and 1:2 for Associate Professor.

According to the earlier stipulation, a Professor was entitled to one PG student and an Associate Professor was allowed one PG student. The relaxation was 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 intimated the Secretary Health and Medical Education, in a letter dated February 8, 2017, of its intention to grant more PG seats to GMCs of J& K for the academic year 2017-18, as one time measure.

The concerned Secretary was requested to apprise the MCI of the faculty strengths by February 15, 2017 in order to facilitate granting of additional PG seats. And the matter being accorded top priority.

On February 9, 2017, Medical Council of India also dispatched letters to the Dean/Principal all Government Medical Colleges, the Director of all PG institutes and to the Director, Medical Education, on the same subject and the information as per the per forma, was sought latest by February 15, 2017, preferably by e-mail as well as post, to enable the MCI to take further action in the matter.

The failure on the part of the state government to reply by February 15,2017, led to another letter marked 'most urgent' to be dispatched on 16 February,2017 stating that the MCI had yet to receive the desired information and therefore, was extending the date till 20^th February,2017.

“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