CHENNAI: The state will add 450 more MBBS seats this academic year with the Union Health Ministry granting approval to a new medical college in Karur district with 150 seats and also to additional 300 seats in other medical colleges recently.
The State had a total of 2,447 MBBS seats last year and the number increased to 2,897 with the approval of additional seats this year.
Speaking to Express, Dr A Edwin Joe, Director of Medical Education, said, “The state would add at least 350 MBBS seats this year. We have got approval to start a new medical college in Karur, and also we got approval to add 100 seats more each in Madurai Medical College Hospital and Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital. With this, the number of MBBS seats in both medical colleges increased from 150 to 250”.
Meanwhile, the State Health and Family Welfare Department has taken over IRT-Perundurai Medical College and Hospital that was run by the Institute of Road Transport. Approval was given for 100 MBBS seats in the college.
With this, 450 additional seats will be added in this academic year during the counselling for UG medical and dental admissions. Not only this, but the number of government medical colleges has also increased from 22 to 24.
“We will be inaugurating the new medical colleges in Karur soon, which was kept on hold due to model code of conduct for the elections. With take-over of IRT-Perundurai Medical College and Hospital and new medical college at Karur, the government medical colleges increased to 24,” said a senior official in the Directorate of Medical Education.
Meanwhile, the selection committee of the Directorate of Medical Education is preparing prospectus for UG medical and dental admissions and the sale of applications for the courses is likely to begin in the first week of June, after UG-NEET results were announced.
“We will probably begin the sale of applications after UG-NEET results, which are likely to be announced on June 5,” said another official.