J&K optimistic to get 500 additional MBBS seats this year

Ahead of the Medical Council of India’s (MCI) upcoming visitto J&K, the state government has filled up the key positions of seniorfaculty through ‘lateral entry and academic arrangement’ in the five newmedical colleges even as the other basic minimum standards for human resourceare being addressed on “fast track”. This has improved the chances of approvalby the MCI for starting the MBBS course in these colleges.

In a first, 34 consultants working with directorates ofhealth services of Jammu and Kashmir have been selected as senior faculty inthe new medical colleges through the recently instituted lateral entry scheme,a move aimed at meeting minimum requirements for approval by the MCI. Of these,seven have been selected as professors and 27 as associate professors.

   

Earlier this year, State government had invited applicationsfrom consultants working with health department as well as the faculty alreadyengaged with the existing government medical colleges for lateral entry intonew medical colleges as “one-time absorption”.

Recently, the government also engaged 26 retired facultymembers as senior faculty for the new medical colleges after changing terms andconditions for the to garner better response to the posts.

According to a source in the health and medical education(H&ME) department, the MCI has communicated to J&K that an inspectionof the sites of five new medical colleges will be carried out “anytime inMarch” wherein the infrastructure as well as the manpower in place will be inspected.

Based on the assessment of the basic minimum standards, theMCI will decide on grant of permission to start the MBBS in the upcomingmedical colleges of Anantnag, Baramulla, Kathua, Doda and Rajouri.

The source said that various steps were being taken by thegovernment to satisfy the criteria for securing letter of permission for intakeof first batch of 100 undergraduate medical students in each of the newcolleges, and add up 500 seats to the pool of existing 500 MBBS seats here.

However, an official in the H&ME department said thatthere were “some serious hiccups” that could diminish the chances of approval.

“In Government Medical College Anantnag, there is no seniorfaculty in anatomy and physiology yet. If that is not addressed, it can createa serious setback to chances of nod for this college,” the official said.

Similarly, in most of these colleges, the dearth ofallocated funds for library and the delay in setting up of laboratories is alsoan issue, another official said.

Without laboratory and library, the MCI is unlikely to givepermission to start the courses, the official said.

Commissioner secretary, health and medical educationdepartment, Atal Dulloo expressed optimism about getting the approval this yearfrom the MCI. “We are addressing all the lacunae that the MCI pointed outduring its last visit on the fast track,” he said.

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