Shimla, June 6: With the issue of letter of permission to Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Chamba to admit the first batch of 100 MBBS students, the number of medical colleges has increased to five with 500 seats but the government is averse to idea of joint cadre for teachers and will continue with separate teaching cadre for each college.
The three colleges, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Dr R P Medical College, Tanda (Kangra) and Dr YS Parmar Medical College, Nahan, have separate teaching cadre but uniform fee structure. The fee structure of Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College, Mandi, and Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Chamba, is awaiting the Cabinet nod.
Himachal has been a potential gainer with the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister hailing from Himachal while an All-India Institute of Medical Sciences is coming up at Bilaspur.
The total number of MBBS seats to be filled through NEET and Central counselling has increased to 650 with 150 seats in a private medical college. The government had hiked the fee for all government medical colleges last year while deciding the free structure for Nahan college.
“The fee structure for Mandi and Chamba colleges is likely to be in conformity with the fee structure of the three existing colleges,” said Prabodh Sexena, Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare).
The government had last year hiked the fee for the MBBS course from Rs 45,000 to Rs 60,000 in the first year while the fee for second, third, fourth and fifth year is Rs 50,000. Besides, Rs 25,000 (approximately) are payable for availing hostel facility.
The fee for NRI quota seats was increased from $13,000(Rs 8.65 lakh) to $20,000 (Rs 13.32 lakh) per annum.
There were two seats under NRI quota in IGMC and four seats in the Tanda medical college but in the Nahan college, the number of NRI seats was fixed at 13 and it is likely to be same in two new colleges also.
All these colleges are affiliated to Himachal Pradesh University but with Medical University coming up soon, all colleges, including the private colleges, will be affiliated to the new university, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh.
Source Tribune India
