‘Bengal to get 2,250 MBBS seats in academic year 2024-25’
Kolkata: Bengal government is going to get 2,250 MBBS and 147 MD seats in the academic year 2024-25.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has sanctioned around 51,500 MBBS seats and 7,500 MD seats in the country.
According to the NMC’s notification, medical colleges must adhere to the ratio of 100 MBBS seats for every 10 lakh residents of the state in the academic year 2024–25. The NMC recently released “Guidelines for Undergraduate Courses under Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Starting of New Medical Courses, Increase of Seats for Existing Courses, and Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023,” colleges seeking additional seats cannot have more than 150 MBBS students enrolled by 2024–2025.
The NMC has given clearance to admit students at the undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats in a total 400 medical colleges (both old and new) across the country.
In Bengal, the NMC has given a “go ahead” for admission in 17 medical colleges. There will be a total 147 MD/MS and DM/MCH seats in the state.
The Centre in June gave clearance for setting up two medical colleges in Bengal. One will be set up in Nadia’s Chakdah while the other will come up at Salt Lake. The Centre has set a target of opening a medical college in every district.
State requires permission from the NMC to set up new medical colleges. After coming to power, the Mamata Banerjee government has set up nearly 23 new medical colleges.
Chief Minister Banerjee had laid the foundation stone of many new medical colleges in the past year.
The aim is to produce more doctors in the state and ensure better infrastructure in the health infrastructure. The Bengal government is eager to set up four more medical colleges in the state.
The state Health department will soon appeal to the Centre seeking a clearance.
There are currently around 5,125 MBBS seats in the state. The number of MBBS seats stood at 900 till 2011 when the Mamata Banerjee government came to power for the first time.
Six hospitals across the state have recently been upgraded into full-fledged medical colleges and each will have 100 MBBS seats from the next academic year. These six hospitals are situated in Barasat, Uluberia, Arambag, Tamluk, Jhargram, Jalpaiguri.
