350 additional medical seats likely

HYDERABAD: Officials in the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) are confident of getting at least 350 additional MBBS seats for the government medical colleges in the state this academic year as the Medical Council of India (MCI) has positively responded to make a second visit for inspection to following the plea from DME.Earlier, the state government had sought 500 additional MBBS seats -  50 seats each in 10 government medical colleges excluding the four Rajiv Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS)-- for the academic year 2012-13.But, an expert committee from the MCI, which visited these colleges in the state, felt that the facilities available were not adequate to justify increase in the number of seats. It did not even renew the existing 100 MBBS seats at RIMS Ongole for the same reason.However, they felt that only three colleges - Osmaina Medical College, Hyderabad, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool - had the necessary infrastructure. Of the remaining seven colleges, the MCI wanted to select at least two colleges but there are doubts that it would finally allow intake increase in only one college either Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada or Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada. The DME also promised to improve facilities by mid May when the MCI team would visit.Sources said, a team from the DME met the MCI officials in New Delhi couple of day ago, urging them to reconsider the grant of additional seats to the 10 medical colleges and conduct another inspection . They tried to convince the officials for the second inspection, saying they were working to improve the facilities at the colleges as per MCI guidelines.With the DME team explaining to the MCI that the sanctioning of 500 additional medical seats, would provide a chance to the poor students, who cannot afford education in private medical colleges in management quota seats, the MCI has positively responded for the second inspection.Sources said, the MCI would compromise the inadequate facilities up to 10 to 15 percent, but would set a deadline to improve them.