BHUBANESWAR: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 318 additional postgraduate medical seats across 14 departments in government medical colleges and other institutions in Odisha.
The approval raises the total number of PG medical seats in the state from 620 to 938. It will allow five new government medical colleges to introduce PG courses, with 153 seats sanctioned across various departments.
New seats
Dharanidhar Medical College and Hospital in Keonjhar has received approval for 44 seats across 10 departments, while Government Medical College and Hospital in Sundargarh has been allotted 22 seats across eight departments, said an official statement.
SLN Medical College and Hospital in Koraput has got 28 seats in nine departments. Pabitra Mohan Pradhan Government Medical College and Hospital in Talcher has been allotted 32 seats across 10 departments, while Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Government Medical College and Hospital in Phulbani has received 27 seats across eight departments.
The number of PG seats at Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital in Baripada has increased from 20 to 53, while Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital in Balangir now has 54 seats, up from 10.
At Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital in Balasore, the number of seats has gone up from eight to 54. PGIMER and Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar have received 11 additional seats.
SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack has been allotted 17 additional seats, while Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer has received three more seats. VIMSAR in Burla has been allotted 11 additional seats.
The additional seats cover Anatomy, Anaesthesiology, Biochemistry, Community Medicine, ENT, General Medicine, General Surgery, Microbiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Pathology, Psychiatry and Respiratory Medicine.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling said the development marked a significant step forward for medical education and healthcare in the state.
“With the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, a new chapter has been added to the health and medical education in Odisha,” he said.
Thanking Union Health Minister JP Nadda and the NMC, he said the increase from 620 to 938 seats is not merely an expansion of medical seats but also a step towards producing more doctors and specialists.
He said the introduction of postgraduate medical education in Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Koraput, Talcher and Phulbani would promote balanced regional development and the decentralisation of healthcare.