Medical admissions are likely to get tougher as new regulations by the undergraduate medical board of the National Medical Commission will bar Tamil Nadu from adding new medical colleges-government or private
Chennai: Medical admissions are likely to get tougher as new regulations by the undergraduate medical board of the National Medical Commission will bar Tamil Nadu from adding new medi- cal colleges-government or private or adding more than 150 MBBS seats in existing colleges.
The 'guidelines for un- dergraduate courses under the establishment of new medical institutions, starting of new medical courses, and increase of seats for existing course and assessment and rating regulation 2023' published in the Gazette of India on August 16 has two major decisions of the Centre.
First, it caps the total number of MBBS seats in a medical college at 150. The letter of permission for starting new medical colleges after 2023-24 shall be issued only for an annual intake capacity of 50/100/ 150 MBBS seats, the notification said. Colleges seeking an increase in the number of seats cannot ex- ceed a total of 150 MBBS students from the year 2024-25. The commission. has, however, exempted applicants, who have al ready sent applications seeking an increase in MBBS seats.
Second, it says medical colleges shall follow the ratio of 100 MBBS seats for 10 lakh population in that state or UT. This means Tamil Nadu, which has more than 10,000 seats in more than 70 medical colleges, cannot apply for more col leges. The state has a population of about a little over 8 crore.
The notification does not offer justification for the decision, but senior doctors in the NMC said the decision was made to ensure resources are spent judiciously to ensure uniform distribution of doctors across the coun- try "TN has morse than 1.8. lakh doctors registered in Tamil Nadu and among them, 1.5 lakh are still practicing. The recommended ratio of doctors is only 1:1000 and we already have 1 per 600," said PG medical board member Dr K Senthil, also president of the TN Government Doctors' Association.
With a fertility rate of 1.4, there is a decline in population. "In ten years, TN will have 1 doctor for every 350 people because every year 10,000 MBBS graduates and 1,500 foreign medical graduates apply for a medical licence," he said.
However, Tamil Nadu health secretary Gagadeep Singh Bedi said the state has a policy of estab lishing a medical college in every district to ensure equal distribution of doctors and tertiary care facilities equal.
"The country needs more doctors. If Chennai can work well as a medical hub for the rest of India, doctors from here can work in other states too," he said.
The 'guidelines for un- dergraduate courses under the establishment of new medical institutions, starting of new medical courses, and increase of seats for existing course and assessment and rating regulation 2023' published in the Gazette of India on August 16 has two major decisions of the Centre.
First, it caps the total number of MBBS seats in a medical college at 150. The letter of permission for starting new medical colleges after 2023-24 shall be issued only for an annual intake capacity of 50/100/ 150 MBBS seats, the notification said. Colleges seeking an increase in the number of seats cannot ex- ceed a total of 150 MBBS students from the year 2024-25. The commission. has, however, exempted applicants, who have al ready sent applications seeking an increase in MBBS seats.
Second, it says medical colleges shall follow the ratio of 100 MBBS seats for 10 lakh population in that state or UT. This means Tamil Nadu, which has more than 10,000 seats in more than 70 medical colleges, cannot apply for more col leges. The state has a population of about a little over 8 crore.
The notification does not offer justification for the decision, but senior doctors in the NMC said the decision was made to ensure resources are spent judiciously to ensure uniform distribution of doctors across the coun- try "TN has morse than 1.8. lakh doctors registered in Tamil Nadu and among them, 1.5 lakh are still practicing. The recommended ratio of doctors is only 1:1000 and we already have 1 per 600," said PG medical board member Dr K Senthil, also president of the TN Government Doctors' Association.
With a fertility rate of 1.4, there is a decline in population. "In ten years, TN will have 1 doctor for every 350 people because every year 10,000 MBBS graduates and 1,500 foreign medical graduates apply for a medical licence," he said.
However, Tamil Nadu health secretary Gagadeep Singh Bedi said the state has a policy of estab lishing a medical college in every district to ensure equal distribution of doctors and tertiary care facilities equal.
"The country needs more doctors. If Chennai can work well as a medical hub for the rest of India, doctors from here can work in other states too," he said.