BHUBANESWAR: In a significant move to strengthen medical education and improve healthcare, the Odisha government has initiated the process to add 502 more postgraduate seats in government medical colleges and postgraduate institutes in the state.
The Health and Family Welfare department has directed all government medical colleges to submit proposals to create additional PG seats and open new PG courses. Currently, the state has 1,800 MBBS seats and 615 PG seats in 24 disciplines.
Sources said the Directorate of Medical Education and Training has asked the deans and principals of 11 medical colleges and directors of two post graduate institutes to take necessary steps and prepare the comprehensive proposals for addition of PG seats.
Director of medical education and training Dr Santosh Kumar Mishra has also asked the medical institutions to submit the financial implications for creation of additional infrastructure for adding PG seats and opening new PG courses, along with the proposal.
The Health department has planned to create 502 additional PG seats in 11 government medical colleges in the state and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Bhubaneswar and Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer, Cuttack.
“The medical colleges have been asked to submit the proposals with financial implications to the directorate at the earliest so that necessary steps can be taken for seeking approvals from the National Medical Commission (NMC) for the academic session 2026-27,” Mishra told The New Indian Express.
As decided, the highest 76 additional PG seats will be created at Government Medical College and Hospital, Phulbani, followed by 75 seats at SLN Medical College and Hospital, Koraput and and 70 seats at Maharaja Jajati Keshari Medical College and Hospital, Jajpur.
The directorate has also planned to add 57 PG seats at Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital, Balangir, 37 at Dharani Dhar Medical College and Hospital, Keonjhar, 36 at Pabitra Mohan Pradhan Medical College and Hospital, Talcher and 35 seats at SRM Medical College and Hospital, Kalahandi.
Similarly, 29 PG seats will be added at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sundargarh, 24 at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, 19 seats at MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur and 18 seats at PRM Medical College and Hospital, Baripada. PGIMER and Capital Hospital, Bhubaneswar will have 26 more PG seats.
The PG disciplines in which additional seats have been proposed are anaesthesiology, biochemistry, anatomy, community medicine, cardiology, ENT, endocrinology, emergency medicine, FMT, general medicine, general surgery, microbiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, pathology, paediatrics, pharmacology, physiology, psychiatric, radio-diagnosis, skin and dermatology and venereology, radio therapy and respiratory medicine.
The NMC had approved 62 PG seats in six government medical colleges and hospitals in the state for the 2025-26 academic year. “The addition of PG seats and courses will not only enhance the quality of medical teaching and learning but also improve specialised healthcare delivery for the people of the region,” Mishra added.