Andhra Pradesh gets 25 more PG medical seats

Visakhapatnam: It has been a mixed bag for Andhra Pradesh in terms of enhancing the number of PG medicine seats in the light of the ‘compliance verification assessment reports’ among others provided by the medical institutions and the Post-graduate Medical Education Committee of the Medial Council of India. The strength in the colleges has been increased by 25 seats while several colleges have been given the nod by the MCI to increase the number of seats or to start new branches. The institutions can later on go for an extension of the number of seats after the first batch admitted there appear for the final exams.

The MCI, however, has turned down proposals by many institutions, Guntur Medical College, Guntur, being one among them. The MCI rejected its application to increase the number of seats in MD (Pulmonary Medicine) giving many reasons for doing so. “As there are two units, total six faculty members are required. There is a shortage of an associate professor. The Unit II is headed by an assistant professor and has only two faculty members. Hence, it cannot be considered as a teaching unit. MRI is not available. There are other deficiencies, too, as pointed out in the Assessment Report,” read the MCI’s explanation.

Convener of the Ethics Committee of Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Dr P.V. Sudhakar explained the technicalities involved in getting approvals to start new courses or to increase the number of seats. “The MCI checks various aspects, including the strength of the faculty, infrastructure, labs and equipment, of each medical college prior to giving the approval,” he said.

The Great Eastern Medical School & Hospital in Srikakulam district got an approval to start many courses including MS (general surgery), MS (obstetrics and gynaecology), MD (anaesthesia), MS (orthopaedics), MD (community medicine), MD (family medicine), MD (physiology). However, the application to start MS (ophthalmology) course was rejected by the MCI citing shortcomings like no conduct of earlier retinal surgeries, lack of equipment like fundus fluorescein angiography, doubts over the number of full-time faculty and other deficiencies. “In view of the above, the Post-graduate Medical Education Committee decided to return the application to the Central Government, recommending the disapproval of the scheme to start MS (ophthalmology) course at Great Eastern Medical School & Hospital in Srikakulam,” said the MCI’s report.

The NRI Medical College and General Hospital, Guntur, got an approval to start the MD (family medicine) courses.