Punjab: GMC Amritsar gets MCI nod for 50 more MBBS seats

Punjab: Bringing cheer to the medical aspirants is the news of GMC Amritsar receiving an MCI approval to offer 50 more MBBS seats.

This development means that the college will now offer 200 medical seats, up from the existing 150 offered till now.

In addition, Patiala and Faridkot government medical colleges have also been granted renewal permission by MCI to fill 200 and 100 MBBS seats, respectively, for third year in a row. Now, the total number of seats has gone up to 500 in the state.

Confirming this, medical education secretary Hussan Lal implied that during a recent discussion with MCI this decision was taken in a meeting. We are now awaiting the final orders from the health and family welfare ministry.

In addition, MCI approval is now awaited for 150 seats at Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences, Jalandhar, and 100 seats at Chintpurni Medical College, Pathankot. The admission to these colleges will only begin if the MCI gives its nod before the counseling begins.

Hussan Lal told HT that though the Supreme Court judgment on implementation of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) was clear that there would be only single medical entrance exam in the country from this year, the state government has sought legal opinion from the state attorney general’s office before officially scrapping its Pre-Medical Entrance Exam scheduled for May 15.

He agreed that there was confusion among students and parents over the single medical entrance exam. “But we hope for some clarity in the near future as to how we will fill the state quota undergraduate medical seats,” he added.