Telangana: Union Health Ministry nod to new post-graduate medical courses

Hyderabad: The Union Health Ministry’s nod to the Telangana Government to start new post graduate courses, by granting them a 'letter of permission'(LoP), and increasing seats in some medical colleges for the current academic year, comes as a piece of good news. However, the fact remains that recognition of these courses and the resultant student degree registrations by the Medical Council of India will not be easy to come by.

Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences and Kamineni Academy of Medical Sciences and Research Centre are the two medical institutions to have benefited by the recent allocations of PG medical courses. Following are the courses and seats granted to two medical colleges:

Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences: MD microbiology/3 seats

Kamineni Academy of Medical Sciences and Research Center: MD Physiology/ seats-3; MD Biochemistry/seats-3; MS Anatomy and MD Pharmacology/seats-3;

The 'increase in seats' have been granted to :

Bhaskar Medical College: MS Opthalmology / from one to two seats

Prathima College of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Karimnagar: MD Anaesthesia/ from two to six seats.

While the joy of new PG medical seats benefiting scores of medical students, who clear the NEET PG entrance exam, creates a ripple in the medical fraternity, certain apprehensions have been expressed by the Telagana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA). The apprehensions prevail in the light of the fact that the 'LoP' to start a new PG medical course or increase in seats in a medical college often does not automatically guarantee 'recognition' from Medical Council of India(MCI).

"There are several PG medical colleges from where medicos have passed out, but are unable to practice as their courses are yet to be recognized by the Medical Council of India.Initially, the Union health ministry had given its nod to these courses by according LoP," said State President, TJUDA.Dr G Srinivas told TOI..

He further stated that doctors passing out from PG medical Colleges cannot practice their specialty till their degrees are registered with the State Medical Council. "The state medical council always insists on recognition of that particular course by the MCI before they can register the degrees of the medicos as per rule," he stated.

Citing the example of Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) he said that though the institution had been given an LoP' for its two year diploma course in Child Health (DCH) in 2009; the MCI recognition has yet to come. As reported by medical dialogues earlier, six batches of PIMS who have passed out as paediatricians, are not able to practice for want of certificate recognition.

Read ALso : 8 years on, Medical College still waits for MCI degree recognition, despite inspections