Odisha gets 318 additional PG medical seats

Bhubaneswar: In a major boost to postgraduate medical education and specialist healthcare services, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 318 additional postgraduate (PG) medical seats across 14 departments in five government medical colleges and other institutions in Odisha, taking the state's total PG intake from 620 to 938.

The approval will allow five newly established government medical colleges in Odisha to start postgraduate courses, with a total of 153 seats approved across various departments, according to an official statement as per a PTI report. 

Medical Dialogues had reported that the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) released an updated Seat Matrix for Postgraduate (PG) Broad Speciality Courses for the Academic Year 2026–27. According to the data shared by the Commission, a total of 68305 MD, MS, Diploma and MCh (6 year) seats in PG Broad Speciality courses are available.

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Among the new institutions, Dharanidhar Medical College and Hospital in Keonjhar has received approval for 44 PG seats in 10 departments. Government Medical College and Hospital in Sundargarh has been allotted 22 seats across eight departments.

Similarly, SLN Medical College and Hospital in Koraput has received 28 seats across nine departments, Pabitra Mohan Pradhan Government Medical College and Hospital in Talcher 32 seats across 10 departments, and Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Government Medical College and Hospital in Phulbani 27 seats across eight departments.

The number of PG seats at Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital in Baripada has increased from 20 to 53, while Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital in Balangir has seen an increase from 10 to 54 seats, the statement said.

At Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital in Balasore, the number of PG seats has risen from eight to 54, while PGIMER and Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar have received 11 additional seats.

SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack has been allotted 17 additional seats, while Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer has received three more seats. VIMSAR, Burla, has been allotted 11 additional seats.

The additional seats will be available across 14 departments, including Anatomy, Anaesthesiology, Biochemistry, Community Medicine, ENT, General Medicine, General Surgery, Microbiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Pathology, Psychiatry and Respiratory Medicine.

Reacting to the development, Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling said the increase in PG seats marked an important step for medical education and healthcare in the state.

"With the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, a new chapter has been added to the health and medical education sector in Odisha," he said.

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Union Health Minister J P Nadda and the NMC for the expansion. Mahaling said the increase in PG seats from 620 to 938 was not merely an expansion of medical education but also a step towards producing more skilled doctors and specialists in the state.

The introduction of postgraduate medical education in regions such as Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Koraput, Talcher and Phulbani would promote balanced regional development and decentralisation of healthcare, he said.

The move would also improve the availability of specialist doctors and help people access advanced healthcare services closer to their homes, the minister added.

Also read- Maharashtra gets 1,066 additional PG medical seats, 720 in govt institutes