CHENNAI: The state government is set to increase nursing seats in government institutions from 796 to 1,651, adding 855 seats as part of its plan to expand allied health programmes alongside MBBS and BDS courses.
The additional seats include 660 BSc Nursing, 120 Post Basic BSc Nursing and 75 MSc Nursing seats across 13 institutions. Most of the BSc Nursing seats will be created in six Model Colleges of Nursing being established in government medical colleges with funding from the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, besides the state-funded Government Medical College, ESI and Hospital, Coimbatore.
According to the proposed seat matrix, the 660 new BSc Nursing seats will increase the existing intake of 510. KAP Viswanathan Government Medical College, Tiruchy, and the government medical colleges in Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Dharmapuri, Erode and Tirunelveli will get 100 seats each, while the Government Medical College, ESI and Hospital, Coimbatore, will receive 60 seats.
The 120 Post Basic BSc Nursing seats, over the existing 150, will be shared equally among the colleges of nursing at Chengalpattu Medical College, Government Theni Medical College and Rajah Muthiah Medical College, Cuddalore. The 75 MSc Nursing seats, in addition to the existing 136, will be distributed equally among the colleges of nursing at Chengalpattu Medical College, Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College, Salem, and Government Theni Medical College.
An official in the Directorate of Medical Education and Research said the government had approved the proposal. The six Model Colleges of Nursing, each being built at a cost of Rs 40 crore with funding from the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University, are nearing completion.
Officials said the expansion would particularly benefit students from economically weaker sections, as government nursing colleges charge substantially lower fees than private institutions. The annual fee for BSc Nursing and Post Basic BSc Nursing is Rs 60,000 under the government quota, compared with Rs 1.2 lakh under the management quota. For MSc Nursing, the annual fee is Rs 75,000 under the government quota and Rs 1.25 lakh under the management.
According to the Tamil Nadu Nursing Council, around 19,000 nursing students register with it every year.