CS pushes for expansion of MBBS,PG seats across GMCs in J&K

Jammu : Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, Tuesday chaired a meeting to comprehensively review the augmentation of undergraduate and postgraduate seats across Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), Dental Colleges, Ayurvedic and Unani Colleges by the Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department in J&K.
The meeting was attended by Secretary, Health & Medical Education Department; Director, SKIMS; Principals of Government Medical Colleges; Director, Coordination; and other senior officers of the department.
During the the Chief Secretary conducted a thoroughly reviewed MD/MS, DM/MCh, DNB, and MDS seat augmentations from the previous academic year and discussed the expansion plans set by medical colleges for the upcoming session. Addressing the meeting Chief Secretary emphasized the importance of enhancing super-specialty healthcare in the Union Territory (UT) and instructed the two Super Specialty Hospitals and SKIMS Medical College to allocate DM and MCh seats starting from the next academic year. The Chief Secretary also assessed the status of additional MBBS seats approved for various medical colleges and encouraged remaining institutions to apply for an extra 50 MBBS seats once the National Medical Commission (NMC) opens the application portal. He announced that a college-wise evaluation would be conducted immediately after the portal opens to monitor progress and ensure timely submissions. Furthermore, he directed the Principals of Government Dental Colleges in Jammu and Srinagar to implement necessary measures for introducing new MDS courses and increasing their intake capacity. He also urged Ayurvedic and Unani Colleges to actively seek enhancements in their seat capacities. Dr. Syed Abid Rashid Shah, Secretary of the Health & Medical Education Department, reported that each medical institution has appointed a Nodal Officer to oversee the augmentation of undergraduate and postgraduate seats, ensuring compliance with NMC regulations and timely completion of requirements. He noted that during the last academic session, medical colleges in Jammu and Kashmir added 128 MD/MS seats, 46 DNB seats, and 2 DM/MCh seats, with plans to propose an additional 284 MD/MS seats, 35 DNB seats, and 36 DM/MCh seats for the 2026–27 session. Regarding MBBS admissions, the Secretary mentioned that 50 additional seats were sanctioned for Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) in Anantnag, Baramulla, Rajouri, and Doda, while GMC Srinagar and GMC Jammu received 20 additional seats each. GMCs in Udhampur, Rajouri, Handwara, and SKIMS Bemina are preparing to apply for an additional 50 MBBS seats in the upcoming session. Dr. Mohammad Ashraf Ganie, Director of SKIMS, informed the meeting of the Institute’s readiness to apply for a significant increase in seats during the forthcoming NMC application window, aiming for around 130 postgraduate seats and 50 undergraduate seats. He expressed confidence in meeting all regulatory requirements for approval. The Principals of the respective medical institutions shared their specific plans for augmenting undergraduate and postgraduate seats and assured that applications would be submitted promptly once the NMC portal opens in the coming weeks.