BENGALURU: With lakhs of students vying for limited medical seats through NEET every year, the Karnataka government has urged the National Medical Commission (NMC) to increase undergraduate medical seats across the country.
At the graduation ceremony for the 2019 batch of Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil highlighted the growing mismatch.
“Over five lakh students write NEET annually, but there are only about one lakh seats. This gap must be addressed immediately,” he said, noting that Karnataka has already submitted a proposal seeking approval for 800 additional undergraduate and 600 postgraduate medical seats from this academic year.
The minister, who was speaking in the presence of NMC chairperson Dr BN Gangadhara, added that Indian medical professionals are in global demand due to their strong training and urged the NMC to act.
The minister also reiterated the state’s plan to establish a medical college in every district. “The chief minister has approved this initiative to help students from weaker sections study medicine free of cost,” he said.
Dr Gangadhara noted that the world is short of nearly three crore doctors and encouraged the younger generation to pursue the profession.