1365 MD, MS, 60 PG Diploma seats remained Vacant last year

The information to this effect comes from the data shared by the Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya before the Parliament during question hour.

The minister was asked to provide speciality-wise details on the number of seats for Post Graduate (PG) medical courses which remained vacant in the last academic year.

Vacant Seats

Pointing out that the Government has taken various steps over the years to increase the number of PG medical seats in the country, the minister apprised the Parliament that 1,425 Postgraduate seats remained vacant in 2020-21, including 1365 broad-speciality seats and 60 diploma seats.

As per the data earlier provided by the Health Minister before the Lok Sabha, the maximum seats left vacant were 173 in the speciality of MD Social & Preventive Medicine / Community Medicine followed by 172 in MD - Pharmacology, 167 in MD - Physiology, 158 in MD - Microbiology, 151 in MD/MS - Anatomy, and 147 in MD - Bio-Chemistry.

The list drops down to 72 seats left vacant in MD - Forensic Medicine/Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 64 in MD - Pathology, 45 in MD - Anaesthesiology, 39 in MS - General Surgery, 25 in MD - General Medicine, 24 in MD - Radio Diagnosis/Radiology, 23 in MS - Orthopaedics, 19 in MD/MS - Ophthalmology, 14 in MD - Psychiatry, 12 each in MD - Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy and MD/MS - Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

MD - Paediatrics had 10 seats left to be filled last academic year, MD - Aviation Medicine/Aerospace Medicine and MS - ENT had 7 seats each, MD - Tuberculosis & Respiratory Diseases / Pulmonary Medicine had 6, MD - Radiotherapy/ Radiation Oncology had 5, MD - Immuno Haematology & Blood Transfusion had 4, 2 each were in MD - Community Health Administration, MD - Hospital Administration and MD - Nuclear Medicine. Meanwhile, only 1 seat was left in each of the specialities of MD - Family Medicine, MD - Palliative Medicine and MD - Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Apart from these 1,365 PG medical seats, 60 PG Diploma seats were left vacant last year of which the maximum of 20 was in Diploma in Health Education followed by 9 in Diploma in Obstetrics & Gynaecology and 6 in Diploma in Ophthalmology.

5 seats each remained vacant in Diploma in Clinical Pathology and Psychological Medicine, 3 each in Health Administration and Radio-Diagnosis, 2 each in Anaesthesia, Public Health and Sports Medicine while 1 each was left in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Dermatology and Orthopaedics Diplomas.

Further, as per provisions of the Regulations on Graduate Medical Education and Post Graduate Medical Education, common counselling for admission to central medical educational institutions, all India quota seats in government medical colleges and deemed universities is conducted by the Medical Council Committee (MCC), Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health, Government of India, the Minister said in reply to a written question.

Similarly, for admission to state quota seats in government medical colleges and all seats in private medical colleges, the respective state governments conduct common counselling and are responsible for filling up the seats, he said.

Listing the steps that have been taken to ensure that PG medical seats are not left vacant, Mandaviya said the benchmark percentile for admission to PG degree and diploma courses has been reduced and the counselling for all India quota PG (broad speciality) seats increased to four rounds from 2021.

The steps taken to further increase the availability of medical post-graduate seats in the country include a centrally sponsored scheme for strengthening or up-gradation of existing state government or central government medical colleges and a central sector scheme for up-gradation of government medical colleges by the construction of super speciality blocks.

Also, undergraduate courses have started in 19 AIIMS, DNB qualification has been recognised for appointment as faculty to take care of shortage of teaching staff, DNB diploma courses have been approved in eight broad specialities and the ratio of teacher to students has been rationalised to increase the number of post-graduate medical seats in the country, he said.

By amending the regulations, it has been made mandatory for all medical colleges to start PG courses within three years from the date of their MBBS recognition or continuation of recognition, Mandaviya stated.