As the NEET results are out, aspirants for MBBS in J&K may be looking at 160 additional seats in pool at various medical colleges of the UT, the total available berths reaching 1145, J&K Government said.
Financial Commissioner (FC) Health and Medical Education (H&ME), Atal Dulloo said that the approval for 100 additional MBBS seats in GMC Doda was expected from Medical Council of India (MCI). In addition, 15 seats are expected to increase in GMC Anantnag, Baramulla, Rajouri and Kathua, he said. The FC said all the requisite criteria for enhancement of seats had been fulfilled and MCI “was satisfied” to allow increase in intake, however, a formal approval letter (letter of permission) was awaited.
The addition of 160 MBBS seats for the upcoming academic session, he said, would take the total available seats in J&K to 1145. “In the past two years, we have been able to more than double our intake for MBBS in J&K, a great advancement in the medical education sector here and a major reprieve for aspirants,” he said.
Dulloo said the process for starting MBBS in two AIIMS in J&K, Vijaypur and Awantipora, was also underway. “A central team had recently inspected GMC Kathua as a possible temporary campus for starting AIIMS Vijaypur MBBS course,” he said. He said the site was suitable and hoped that approval would be given for taking the first batch at this site for the premier upcoming medical college for 2020-21. “We are looking at 50 seats for now,” he said, adding that the next year, AIIMS Awantipora may also be started from a temporary campus in a GMC in Kashmir.
In June 2019, Medical Council of India approved 400 additional seats for four new medical colleges in J&K – Baramulla, Anantnag, Rajouri and Kathua. GMC Doda was not accorded approval due to its incomplete infrastructure. The five new medical colleges in J&K had been allotted in 2012, however, were incomplete till 2019. In 2019, a health official said, although shortfalls in infrastructure and human resources still existed, MCI allowed these to start with a rider to fulfil the deficiencies within stipulated time.
Soon after allowing the new medical colleges, 85 more seats were allowed under EWS (Economically Weaker Section) category, borne out of a Constitutional amendment that guarantees reservation for EWS in all educational institutions. Under EWS, 30 seats each were increased in GMC Jammu and Srinagar while in SKIMS Soura 25 seats, in addition to existing capacity, were permitted, the total seats jumping from 500 to 985 in a year.