*College set to get 14 PG seats
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Feb 15: After delay of several years, PG courses are likely to be started from this session in Indira Gandhi Government Dental College (IGGDC) Jammu as Dental Council of India (DCI) has recommended Union Ministry of Health to grant permission to start MDS courses to the Institute and a formal notification in this connection may be issued very soon by Union Ministry of Health.
Official sources told Excelsior that the proposal for starting the PG courses in IGGDC Jammu is lying pending for last several years while the Government Dental College Srinagar has been offering the same since 2007. They said that on February 1, 2018 the then Minister of Health and Medical Education Department, J&K, Bali Bhagat had announced on the floor of the Upper House that Government is going to start PG courses from that year in IGGDC Jammu but much to the disappointment of the MDS aspirants, the courses could not be started even in 2019.
“Though the process for starting PG courses in IGGDC Jammu was started 4-5 years back but firstly infrastructure and then due to lack of faculty, the process got delayed,” sources informed. They said the Dental College Jammu has a huge infrastructure now and most of the issues regarding faculty have been overcome while two departments of the College are still without Professors.
Sources said that Dental Council of India (DCI) conducted back to back three inspections last year in Dental College Jammu with last inspection held in September ending in which it had pointed some shortcomings related to faculty and equipments but after submission of compliance report by the College administration, the DCI in its meeting held in December 2019 recommended the Government of India to grant permission to the College to start MDS courses from 2020-21 session.
They further informed that as per faculty: student ratio, the IGGDC Jammu is likely to get 14 MDS seats which are very less as compared to GDC Srinagar which has presently 18 seats and is likely to get 15 to 16 more seats from this session itself.
Dr Romesh Singh, Principal IGGDC Jammu, when contacted, confirmed that they are going to start MDS from this year. “All formalities by the College authorities as well as DCI in this connection have been completed. We are just waiting for the formal notification by the Government of India, which is likely to be issued by February 21,” he asserted.
Dr Singh said that DCI has recommended GoI to grant permission to IGGDC Jammu to start MDS courses from this session and they are very much confident of getting the formal nod from the GoI and eagerly waiting for the same. He said as per faculty-student ratio, they are hopeful of getting 14 MDS seats from this session.
It is pertinent to mention here that result of NEET which was held on December 20, last year is already out and within 3-4 weeks, the counseling for MBBS, BDS, BAMS and MDS seats will be started.
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