J&K Appoints Nodal Officers for NMC to Expand Medical Seats
Srinagar: In a significant step to enhance medical education infrastructure, the Health and Medical Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir has issued an official order sanctioning the appointment of nodal officers to coordinate with the National Medical Commission (NMC) for increasing undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical seats in government medical colleges across the Union Territory.
According to the directive from the Civil Secretariat, Dr. Shashi Sudan, Secretary (Technical) in the Health & Medical Education Department, has been designated as the Single-Point-of-Contact (SPOC) for all coordination activities with the NMC. Additionally, the department has nominated two senior doctors as nodal officers to assist in the coordination process. Dr. Rachna Sabherwal, a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, and Dr. Mohammad Saleem Itoo, a Professor in the Department of Anatomy at GMC Srinagar, have been appointed as the nodal officers to assist NMC.
The order stated, “Dr. Shashi Sudan shall coordinate directly with the NMC for the enhancement of UG/PG seats in Government Medical Colleges of Jammu and Kashmir, ensuring that all deficiencies are addressed and that all pending issues with NMC are resolved in a time-bound manner.” It stated that Dr. Rachna Sabherwal and Dr. Mohammad Saleem are “nominated as the Nodal Officers to assist in the relevant processes. They will also coordinate with the NMC alongside Dr. Shashi Sudan and provide necessary technical input as required.”
“Both designated officers shall work in close coordination with the NMC to ensure that all issues, including pending matters, are resolved effectively and within the prescribed timelines. By order of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir,” it further added.
Dr Rachna Sabharwal is also serving as the chairperson of the B.Sc. Paramedical courses. Dr Shashi Sudan, the Head of the Microbiology Department was handling the responsibility of the principal of Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu in addition to his own duties since 2020 till the time Dr Ashutosh Gupta was appointed as the Principal of GMCH in 2023. Prof. (Dr.) Shashi Sudan Sharma was shifted “to Administrative Department as Secretary (Technical) in the interest of administration and patient care” after she faced allegations of tampering with her date of birth.
