The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : 100 more seats likely in MBBS

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 14, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

100 more seats likely in MBBS

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, APRIL 13. Tamil Nadu is likely to have an additional 100 seats in MBBS programmes this year. The new government college in Kanyakumari district may get the Medical Council of India's nod for starting the undergraduate programme, the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University Vice-Chancellor, C.V. Bhirmanandham, told mediapersons here today.

The intake in the affiliated colleges now was around 1,500. ``We have sought the Medical Council of India's permission for starting three new colleges in Kanyakumari, Theni and Vellore. An MCI team is inspecting the Kanyakumari college, which will have an intake of 100. And we hope the college can start functioning in the coming academic year, 2004-05,'' he said.

The infrastructure for the Theni and Vellore colleges was getting ready. ``We expect these institutions to start functioning in 2005-06."

(Medical Education department officials said Tamil Nadu now had 11 government medical colleges with an intake of 1,350, besides affiliated colleges. A senior administrator said that despite the growth of private institutions, the government colleges continued to be sought-after for the teaching expertise they built up over the years. So, the government was keen on increasing the total intake in its colleges. For the present, it was asking for an increase of 350 seats across different colleges. The MCI assent was awaited. The infrastructure and human resource required for starting medical colleges or increasing the intake were ready, as per the Council's norms. In the Tiruchi college also, an MCI inspection was on.)

New syllabus

Dr. Bhirmanandham said MCI authorities met in Delhi on March 29 to finalise the new syllabus for MBBS, applicable throughout the country.

The restructured programme would be for five years (as against the present duration of four and a half years). New subjects — English, medical ethics and computing knowledge for doctors — were to be introduced. The programme would also place a higher emphasis on ``common Indian diseases which the young medical students need to study and learn more.''

MGR University had entered into an agreement with the University of Washington, Seattle, for a faculty exchange initiative. From 2004 to 2009, two faculty members from each university would visit the other for sharing expertise in treatment of HIV/AIDS.

The University of Washington was providing Rs.6.86 crores for the initiative including travel and training expenses.

Dr. Bhirmanandham said MGR university was planning to start an M.D course in haemato-immunology in the coming year.

Answering a question, he said the MCI had deliberated on a Union Planning Commission proposal for starting a three-year medical programme (the old licensed medical practitioner course) for creating a cadre of rural doctors. It was mooted to tide over the shortage of doctors in rural India.

However, the MCI would not accept the proposal as there could be no discrimination in the treatment provided or expertise required to attend on patients in rural and urban areas, he said.

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