NMC approves 318 additional PG medical seats in Odisha
The total number of postgraduate medical seats in the state has risen from 620 to 938 following the National Medical Commission's approval.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has sanctioned 318 new postgraduate (PG) medical seats in Odisha, according to India Today. This approval increases the state's total PG seat count from 620 to 938 across various government institutions.
The expansion allows five government medical colleges to begin offering PG courses for the first time. These include Dharanidhar Medical College and Hospital in Keonjhar with 44 seats, Pabitra Mohan Pradhan Government Medical College and Hospital in Talcher with 32 seats, and Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College in Koraput with 28 seats. Additionally, Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati Government Medical College in Phulbani received 27 seats and the Government Medical College in Sundargarh was allotted 22 seats.
Several existing colleges also saw an increase in capacity. Seats at Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital in Balangir rose from 10 to 54, while Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital in Balasore increased from eight to 54. Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital in Baripada grew from 20 to 53 seats.
SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack received 17 more seats, while PGIMER and Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and VIMSAR in Burla each gained 11 seats.
The new seats cover 14 departments, including Anatomy, Anaesthesiology, Biochemistry, Community Medicine, ENT, General Medicine, General Surgery, Microbiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Pathology, Psychiatry, and Respiratory Medicine.
Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling said the move would promote regional development and the decentralisation of healthcare. He stated that the increase would help produce more specialist doctors and improve access to advanced services closer to people's homes.