List also includes newly set up GMCs Handwara, Udhampur
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, May 15: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released a new list of approved Medical Colleges nationwide, which includes J&K. The list indicates an increase of 160 seats for Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) for Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) in the Union Territory, as well as an additional 200 seats for the regular annual intake.
The inclusion of the new Government Medical Colleges (GMC) in Handwara and Udhampur in the list has contributed 100 seats each to the overall number of seats available for FMGs, as well as the regular annual intake capacity across medical colleges in J&K.
Previously, the NMC had issued a list of approved Medical Colleges in J&K, stating that there were 540 seats available for FMGs. However, the new list reveals an increase to 700 seats, indicating a rise of 160 seats for FMGs.
Regarding the regular annual intake in the approved Medical Colleges throughout the Union Territory, the number was previously set at 500 seats. However, with the addition of new Medical Colleges in the approved list, the number has increased to 700, resulting in a growth of 200 seats compared to the previous tally.
Nevertheless, the NMC has maintained the same number of seats for recognized Medical Colleges, including GMC Srinagar, GMC Jammu, SKIMS Soura, and ASCOMS Jammu, for both regular and FMG categories. However, the new list no longer includes AIIMS Jammu, in accordance with the earlier directives issued by the apex medical body.
According to the updated seat matrix, GMC Rajouri, Kathua, Baramulla, Anantnag, Doda, Udhampur, and Handwara will each have an annual regular intake of 100 seats, along with an additional 100 seats available for FMGs.
Similarly, GMC Srinagar and GMC Jammu will each offer an annual regular intake of 180 seats and 14 seats for FMGs. SKIMS Soura will provide 125 seats for the regular annual intake and 9 seats for FMGs, while ASCOMS Jammu will offer 100 seats for the regular annual intake and 8 seats for FMGs.
Under the new numbers, there is a total availability of 700 seats for both regular and FMG categories across the seven approved Medical Colleges in J&K. Recognized medical colleges will have 585 seats for regular annual intake and 45 seats for FMGs.
Combining the numbers from recognized and approved medical colleges, the total availability of seats for annual intake is 1285, with an additional 745 seats for FMGs across the Union Territory.
It is important to note that the NMC had previously validated a list of 679 recognized Non-Teaching Hospitals for CRMI, issued by the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI), as a one-time measure for one year until May 2024.
This validation allows for the conduct of internships exclusively for FMGs who complained of non-availability of seats, including two hospitals in J&K: SMHS in Srinagar and SMGS in Jammu.
The new list indicates that there are 23,192 seats available for FMGs in approved Medical Colleges, while recognized institutes across India offer 4,930 seats. Consequently, J&K’s approved Medical Colleges Crovide 745 seats for FMGs, with an additional 45 seats available in recognized Medical Colleges.
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