Union Health Ministry decides to re-notify 17 PG diploma seats

Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service
Faridkot, March 20

Over two month after the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had invited all seven medical colleges in the state to surrender their postgraduate (PG) diploma seats in various medical courses and get the equal number of PG (MD/MS) seats in the corresponding courses, the Ministry has now decided to re-notify 17 diploma seats in two medical colleges in the state as these could not be converted into degree courses.

Of the total diploma seats, 15 are non-converted seats (10 in diploma in anaesthesia, 2 each in diploma in obstetrics and gyanecology and diploma in child health and one in diploma in oto-rhinno laryngology) are in DMC Ludhiana and two seats are in CMC Ludhiana.

To increase the number of PG medical seats (MD/MS) in all medical colleges, the Ministry has restricted the recognition of various diploma courses for students admitted up to academic year 2018-2019. The Ministry had offered the medical colleges and institutions to seek the equal number of PG (MD/MS) seats by surrendering these diploma courses.

Now, the Board of Governors-Medical Council of India (BoG-MCI) has brought to the notice of the Ministry that due to various reasons, some diploma courses could not be converted to degree seats, reads a letter, issued by the Health Ministry.

“As a consequence of non-conversion of diploma seats, there will be depletion of PG seats during the counselling which is already underway for 2019-2020. So there is no depletion of PG seats in medical colleges, the Ministry had decided to not convert many diploma into degree seats due to their non-conversion,” reads the letter.

Seven medical colleges, including three government institutions, offer 595 seats in PG medical courses in Punjab.

After receiving the applications from medical colleges to convert the 2-year diploma courses seats into 3-year degree courses, the Ministry of Health has issued a notification, omitting the name of diploma in respect of these medical colleges. It has forwarded the application, along with omission notification and undertaking of the college, to the BoG-MCI for recommendation.