There is some good news for students aspiring to take up medicine. The Medical Council of India (MCI) has given its nod to start three more government medical colleges at Kodagu, Karwar and Chamarajanagar from the ensuing academic year.
Announcing this at Kalaburagi on Friday, Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil said that 450 medical seats have been added under the government quota, with each new government medical college allowed an intake of 150 students.
Dr. Patil said MCI, after visiting the three government medical colleges started last year at Kalaburagi, Gadag and Koppal, has renewed its permission to admit 150 each students in these colleges for the ensuing academic year. This was after the government fulfilled all the requirements of the MCI in providing infrastructure and faculty in these colleges.
Permanent recognition
He added that MCI had also accorded permanent recognition to Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute and Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubballi, and permitted an intake of 250 students and 150 students respectively. Now, only two more government medical colleges with an intake of 150 students each at Mysuru and Ballari await MCI’s permanent recognition.
Dr. Patil said that with the MCI’s nod for the three new government medical colleges, the total number of seats in the government medical colleges in the state stood at a record 2,200. “Getting MCI’s permission to start six new government medical colleges after fulfilling all the requirements of teaching staff and infrastructure facilities as stipulated by it within three years is a record of sorts,” he added.
Backward areas
He also said all the new government medical colleges have been established in remote backward areas. “Now the government’s concentration is on starting six new medical colleges at Yadgir, Bagalkot, Haveri, Tumukuru, Chitradurga and Chikballapur. The preliminary work of starting a society, identifying the land and transferring it for constructing the new medical colleges, framing the bylaws and preparing estimates for the construction has already been completed,” he said.
