Tamil Nadu gets a bumper harvest in terms of MBBS seats in government colleges, with 410 fresh seats.
The Medical Council of India has sanctioned additional seats in five existing colleges and a new medical college, bolstering the State’s kitty.
On Wednesday, the government received a communiqué that sanctioned 25 extra seats for the Government Medical College, Salem, 50 extra seats each for the K.A.P.Vishwanathan Government Medical College, Tiruchi, and Government Medical College, Tuticorin.
This is in addition to the 285 extra seats sanctioned in June: 100 seats for the new Tiruvannamalai Medical College, 100 for Stanley Medical College and 85 seats for Madras Medical College. Altogether, an extra 410 seats for Government Medical Colleges alone, and after surrendering seats under the all-India quota, the net gain for Tamil Nadu would be 349 seats. All these seats would be included in the second round of counselling to commence on August 5, sources added. On the whole, the number of MBBS seats available in the State quota, after excluding AIQ, is 2,172.
ESI’s Medical College, which was granted recognition for 100 seats this academic year, has also surrendered 65 seats to the State quota.
However, with the fate of some private self financing medical colleges still hanging fire, and with some others being de-recognised, there will be a loss of seats in the private sector. Since some self-financing medical colleges also surrender a percentage of their seats to the State quota, there will be clarity on how many seats are coming through only when the issue of recognition is decided once and for all, say experts.
Health department sources said this was the first time the State had managed to get clearance for over 400 new seats. It works out to starting four new medical colleges, with an initial sanctioned strength of 100 seats each.
This year’s budget has also allotted Rs. 50 crore for upgrading facilities in existing medical colleges as per MCI requirements in order to get additional seats.
