Boost to MBBS, PG seats in Govt medical colleges in Karnataka

Bangalore, Jan 14 (PTI) The Centre had approved Karnataka''sproposal to enhance MBBS seats in government-run medicalcolleges by 500 and also grant additional 350 post-graduateseats in them, Medical Education Minister S A Ramadass saidtoday.

Ramadass, back from attending a two-day conference of healthand medical education ministers in Hyderabad which concludedyesterday, said as a result the number of MBBS seats in 10Government medical colleges would go up to 1,600 from thepresent 1,100.

He said 100 PG seats have been allotted for the first timein six government medical colleges in Mandya, Belgaum, Hassan,Shimoga, Raichur and Bidar, and 250 more in other four medicalcolleges, raising the number of PG seats to 694 in the state.

Ramadass said Karnataka''s suggestion to conduct exam in MBBSafter four-and-half-years and then undergo a mandatoryone-year internship in rural areas was accepted by the Centre,which would now amend the Medical Council of India curriculumin this regard to be applicable to the entire country.

The Union government has agreed to upgrade the SDSSanatorium and Chest Diseases Hospital here into a nationalinstitute, for which the state would prepare a project reportand would have to provide a seed money of 10 per cent,he said.

Ramadass said Kolar and Shimoga in Karnataka are amongthe 100 districts in the country where diabetic patients couldtake medical costs and cancer patients go in for operationfree of cost, including in the private hospitals, in the sensethe cost would be borne by the Central Government.

"In the 12th (five-year) plan, all medical colleges willstart mental health courses. The Centre would give a grant ofRs 1.5 crore each for these medical colleges", he said.

The minister said a meeting of standing committee on healthof city corportions, municipalities and zilla panchayats wouldbe convened shortly to discuss steps to control spread ofcommunicable diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya andfilaria.