10,000 more PG medical seats in next two years: Ghumam Nabi Azad

In good news for medical students, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today announced that there would be an additional 10,000 post graduate medical seats in the country in the next couple of years.

At the annual convocation ceremony of the Lady Hardinge Medical College, Azad said that the government has taken a slew of measures to increase the intake of PG students.

"We are also encouraging the medical colleges to start new PG courses and also have more PG seats as per the revised norms. I expect the total increase in PG seats during the session 2010-11 beginning September would be 4,000 seats," he said.

The government was also introducing a centrally sponsored scheme with a budget of Rs 1,350 crore for the purpose of upgradation of facilities for increase in the number of PG courses and start PG in new disciplines.

Through this scheme, the minister said, 4,000 seats would be available in the next academic session. "This along with the increase in seats in private institutions as well will lead to an additional 10,000 PG seats in the next two years".

Exhorting medical students to serve in rural areas of the country, Azad said, to encourage rural posting among doctors, additional weightage will be given in the post graduate entrance examination.

"Each of you must take advantage of this and pledge your initial years of service to the primary health care needs," he told the students who received the degrees today.

Azad said for generating rural health manpower, distance learning, family medicine courses and a rual health cadre are required besides motivating young graduates to opt for rural service.

"Our young graduates must volunteer themselves to serve in difficult, most difficult and inaccessible areas. They must be willing to serve the underpriviledged in society," he added.

Azad said that while more and more people are entering the medical profession, yet quite a large number 80% of them are treating only the 20 per cent of the population.

"Although a large number of doctors are graduating every year in various medical colleges in the country, the doctor to population ratio is as low as 1:1722," he added.