J&K: MD, MS seat increase being considered by Union Health Ministry

Srinagar: The government of India in an attempt to increase post graduate seats in Government Medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir and other states, has asked them all to furnish their infrastructural details. This is an attempt to improve medical education in India.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW) after having requested the Medical Council of India(MCI), to grant an increase in PG seats for surgery, medicine and gynaecology-obstetrics from 2017-18 session, as a 'one time measure', has also written to the Jammu and Kashmir government.

The state health authorities have been directed to fill in their human resource and infrastructure details in the MCI circulated format.

The state health authorities have been asked to fill its existing infrastructure and human resource details into the format circulated by the MCI. "There is usually no dearth of clinical material in government hospitals," the MoHFW letter to J&K government dated February 08 2017, reads, adding that the state should hasten the process of submission of information required by MCI to permit the increase in intake capacity for PG courses.

The letter instructs that the matter be considered as top priority as the government of India has taken a decision to increase PG seats across states for MD and MS courses. This has been made possible with the ministry giving an approval for rationalizing of the student teacher ratio.

An official said a separate communication has gone to GMC Srinagar, SKIMS Medical College, Srinagar, Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, and Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences, Jammu, from the Union Ministry asking them to furnish the details at the earliest.

The official communication further directs these medical institutions to submit assessment details of PG seats both existing and the potential number, in view of the revised teacher student ratio in clinical subjects in Government medical colleges.

The official communiqué has also asked these medical colleges to furnish "assessment details for existing and potential number of PG seats in view of the revision of teacher student ratio in clinical subjects in government medical colleges".

The Ministry also held a video conference with heads of medical colleges, on 24^th January, 2017, in view of the decision taken by it regarding increase of PG seats.

A notification was also released recently, by the MCI, in view of its PG regulation regarding the permissible teacher student ratio to 1:3 for Professor and 1:2 for Associate Professor (Unit head).

Earlier, a professor could take only one PG student and Associate Professor was also allowed one PG student. However the change of ratio has been extended for government funded colleges only and will incorporate all clinical subjects, reports Greater Kashmir.

The PG seat increase has been recommended to improve the doctor-patient ratio across states and bring it at par with the World Health Organisation recommended 1:1000.