PGIMER advances plan for 100-seat MBBS college

To transition from a purely postgraduate research institute, it is necessary to establish the basic science departments mandated by the guidelines of the National Medical Commission (NMC).

This satellite centre will admit 100 MBBS students annually, providing some relief from the fierce competition for medical seats in Chandigarh.

Although PGI's existing Departments of Anatomy and Biochemistry can adapt to the undergraduate curriculum, a Department of Physiology is entirely absent from the institute. To overcome this hurdle, it is essential to recruit specialised academic faculty and procure sophisticated experimental laboratory equipment from scratch.

Speaking to TOI in this regard, a PGI official said, "We have to prepare this framework before the new course officially begins," and also noted that the Ministry of Health had requested the formal requirements.

To increase the limited number of medical seats in the city, the Central Government initially approved the undergraduate expansion of PGI in June 2022.

Last year, Medical Dialogues had reported that a long-awaited healthcare expansion project in Chandigarh, aimed at reducing the heavy patient load on the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), continues to face major delays despite multiple approvals and the official transfer of land nearly four years ago.

The Sarangpur satellite centre project, originally proposed in 2017, involves the development of a sprawling 50.76-acre campus intended to house a new MBBS college, advanced treatment centres, and speciality hospitals. The Union Cabinet approved the transfer of the land to PGI in 2019, but the Chandigarh administration only officially handed over possession in November 2021 after prolonged discussions.