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The number of undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats in India is expected to rise by nearly 8,000 in the current academic year, National Medical Commission (NMC) chief Dr Abhijat Sheth has said. Counselling for NEET-UG is already underway, with the first round completed and the second scheduled to begin by August 25. PG counselling is expected in September.
UG, PG Medical Seats Likely To Rise By 8,000 This Academic Year: NMC Chief
The number of undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats in India is expected to rise by nearly 8,000 in the current academic year, National Medical Commission (NMC) chief Dr Abhijat Sheth has said. Counselling for NEET-UG is already underway, with the first round completed and the second scheduled to begin by August 25. PG counselling is expected in September.
Concerns had been raised that the availability of medical seats might shrink this year after the CBI unearthed an alleged nexus involving Union Health Ministry officials, NMC members, middlemen, and private medical college representatives accused of manipulating the regulatory framework. Following the July crackdown, the NMC had put on hold approvals for seat increases and new courses.
The CBI has named 34 people in its FIR, including eight health ministry officials, a National Health Authority official, and five doctors who were part of the NMC inspection team.
Dr Sheth, however, indicated that the process has resumed. “Along with my appointment, the president of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) has also been appointed. We have taken up completion of inspection of UG medical seats on a priority basis, and the assessments are under progress," he told PTI. “We expect an increase of roughly 8,000 seats (UG and PG seats combined) based on the number of applications we have received in this academic year."
At present, India has 1,18,098 undergraduate (MBBS) seats — 59,782 in government institutions and 58,316 in private — and 53,960 postgraduate seats, of which 30,029 are in government and 23,931 in private colleges.
On speculation of a drop in MBBS seats this year, Dr Sheth said, “Because of the ongoing (CBI) inquiry, the numbers of UG seats may have reduced. However, overall, the number of seats is eventually going to increase by 8,000 or even more after the completion of the total inspection process."
On postgraduate admissions, he added: “The process for the inspections of medical college, which have applied for new PG seats, has been initiated and… we are confident that new seats will also be added to the PG counselling process."
NExT Exam Still Some Way Off
Dr Sheth also addressed queries on the National Exit Test (NExT) for final-year MBBS students, mandated under the NMC Act, calling it a “novel concept" but stressing the need for consensus.
“NExT is a novel concept, no doubt but there are many unanswered questions. We have to ensure that this model is compatible with the medical education that we are providing to our students," he said, pointing to challenges around shifting from state-level university exams to a central model, deciding difficulty levels, and creating a “positive perception" among students and faculty.
“Fear among students has to be allayed and their confidence level for this exam has to be created. Awareness has to be made that this examination is not going to be difficult for them but it is going to be a fair assessment for them," he added, noting that its rollout “will take a while."
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Balancing Numbers And Quality
India has seen a sharp rise in the number of medical colleges since 2014, sparking concerns about quality. Dr Sheth emphasised that expansion and quality must go hand in hand.
“The increase in number is required to bring sustainable quality in the medical education over the long term and to bring uniformity of delivery in the healthcare across the country," he said. “At the same time, while increasing the number of colleges, we will have to ensure the quality of medical education doesn't get diluted."
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The NMC, he said, has begun strengthening accreditation standards on faculty, infrastructure, and clinical material, and is promoting a “phydigital" model of medical education combining skills training, virtual tools, and e-learning.
On integrating private and government resources, Dr Sheth noted: “We want to tap this opportunity to integrate these institutions for the medical education purpose, to ensure that we can get better clinical resources for the aspiring medical students. And hence, the integration is very important, and this is the concept which my team would like to take forward."
Source: News18
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