State, colleges lobby for more MBBS seats

MCI halts approvals for new med schools

The Medical Council of India has stopped granting approvals for new medical colleges or an increase in the intake in existing colleges for this year.

However, the state government and private medical colleges are still lobbying with the MCI for additional seats. They want 1,000 additional seats, but the MCI has so far approved only 650 seats.

The total intake as of July 2 stands at 5,300 seats in 39 colleges. Of them, 1,950 seats are in 14 government colleges, and 3,350 seats in 25 private medical colleges. While the government is upset that the MCI has not approved its plans to increase 500 seats in 10 government medical colleges, the new private college to be set up by the Apollo Hospitals group is yet to get an approval.

The MCI has so far added 650 MBBS seats in Andhra Pradesh this year within the stipulated deadline of June 30.

MBBS classes for the fresh batch commence on August 1, and the government and private colleges are still hoping that the MCI will relent by then.

The private medical colleges were more successful than government colleges in getting more seats. Of the 650 additional seats approved by the MCI, only 150 were in the government sector, and 500 in private colleges. The MCI approved 50 seats each in only three government colleges located in Kurnool, Visakhapatnam, and Vijayawada.

However, two new private colleges — Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad (150 seats), and NRI Institute of Medical Sciences, Visakhapatnam (150 seats) — secured approval from the MCI for this year.

Besides, 50 seats were added in four private colleges located in Eluru, Guntur, Vijayanagaram, and Hyderabad (Mediciti). The new medical college to be set up by the Apollo Hospitals group is expected to get approval within a week, adding another 100150 seats.

The government is still pursuing the case with the MCI to enhance the intake by 50 seats each in Osmania, Gandhi and Kakatiya medical colleges, which will add another 150 seats.

Officials expect the MBBS seats to increase by another 300 (150 in private and 150 in government) within the next two weeks. With this, the MBBS seats in Andhra Pradesh will increase by 950 this year, taking the total seats to 5,600 in 40 colleges.