Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, MAR 20: In a significant development, which is expected to drastically improve the healthcare services in Jammu and Kashmir, new Government Medical Colleges across the Union Territory have been accredited by National Board of Examinations (NBE) for DNB (Diploma of National Board ) courses in various departments.
The accredited institutions will get two PG candidates in the certified stream every year. Upto now, 30 Super Specialty/ Broad Specialty courses have been approved by NBE, which are likely to give 58 seats to the UT, which is over and above the DM/MCH and MD/MS courses already being run in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir.
Among the new GMCs, two seats have been granted by NBE to Department of Anesthesia in GMC Doda, two seats in the department of Community Medicine and two seats in Pediatrics in GMC Kathua, two seats in the Department of Dermatology in GMC Anantnag while provisional accreditation has been granted to GMC Rajouri, Department of Orthopedics.
Additionally, in old GMCs/ SKIMS, GMC Jammu has also been granted accreditation in Hospital Administration & Psychiatry Departments and GMC Srinagar in Dr N B Neuro Surgery while SKIMS Srinagar has been granted accreditation in Anatomy & Physiology Departments. Two seats have been approved in each of these accredited departments.
The DNB courses have been introduced in the District Hospitals and new Govt Medical Colleges besides old GMCs and SKIMS in order to strengthen the institutions, decongest the Govt Medical Colleges and to address the shortage of specialists in the UT of J&K.
Earlier in March 2020, District Hospital Gandhi Nagar Jammu became the first District Hospital in Union Territory of J&K to get 6 seats for DNB courses in Department of Medicine and Anesthesiology, pursuant to which DNB courses were started in the institution and candidates are now pursuing PG in the Govt Hospital Gandhi Nagar Jammu. A total of 42 seats were granted to the institutions of UT of J&K and 21 candidates have already joined the various accredited streams.
Eight District Hospitals and all GMCs/ SKIMS had applied for DNB courses to NBE and a total of 129 applications were submitted by the institutions, out of which 23 applications of old GMCs/ SKIMS, five applications of new GMCs and two applications of DHs have been approved by National Board of Examinations and a total of 58 seats have been granted to the accredited departments consequent to the concerted efforts and hard work of teams of the institutions.
Moreover, 28 more departments of DHs/ GMCs have been assessed by NBE and their accreditation is awaited, official sources said.
For meeting the IPHS norms of Govt of India in DNB Districts, NHM J&K has got additional sanction of Staff Nurses for DNB institutions and currently 42 additional nurses have also been provided to each District Hospital implementing DNB programme. Additional beds along with the accessories and monitors have been provided to these District Hospitals by National Health Mission. Govt of India has also approved establishment of eight bedded Hybrid ICU in each DNB District Hospital.
These measures are expected to drastically improve the health care services in the far flung districts and shall improve the services in the tertiary care institutions as well. This is also expected to markedly bring down the referral from the far flung districts to the already overburdened tertiary care institutes of the UT of J&K.
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