Tamil Nadu to add 150 MBBS seats in 2 state-run colleges

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will add at least 150 more MBBS seats in two state-run medical colleges during admissions set to begin in June, the directorate of medical education said on Thursday.
In addition, the state has issued no objection certificates for starting three medical colleges in and around Chennai. If all these colleges start functioning, the state will have 600 additional seats in the coming academic year.The state has got permission to increase 50 seats in Kanyakumari Medical College and Hospital from 100 and is awaiting the Centre's nod to increase 100 more seats in Coimbatore Medical and College Hospital.
"The aim is to slowly increase seats in all tertiary care hospitals to 250. This is happening even as we are increasing the number of medical colleges in the state," said director of medical education(in-charge) Dr R Narayanababu.
The state has given NoCs to Priyadarshini Medical College, Barath Medical College and Panimalar Medical College. If decks are cleared, each of these colleges will have 150 seats. This year, the state has added 159 PG seats, the counselling for which will begin in a few days. With this, the total number of PG seats has gone up from 1758 to 1917.
Beside basic PG degrees such as general medicine and general surgery, the state is adding more seats in super speciality courses such as cardiology, nephrology and gasteroenterology.
The real bonanza, however, will come in 2021 when the state plans to start admissions for 1,650 seats in 11 new medical colleges. Health minister C Vijayabaskar said the construction of these colleges will begin soon. Inspections will be scheduled by September. It will not just be UG seats, the state has applied for 375 additional PG seats - 100 of which will be exclusively for emergency medicine.