Good news is on the horizon for postgraduate medical aspirants in Maharashtra. The National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 68 new postgraduate (PG) medical seats for the academic year 2024-2025. These new seats have been added to four existing medical colleges, as reported by the Indian Express. Further approvals for additional seats are expected to follow, indicating a steady rise in available PG seats for students in the state.

The four institutions that have received this approval include Terna Medical College in Nerul, Prakash Medical College in Sangli, Civic Medical College in Nerul, and ESIC Medical College in Andheri. Terna Medical College has seen the highest addition of 22 PG seats, while Prakash Medical College and Civic Medical College received 12 and 17 seats, respectively. ESIC Medical College has also been granted 17 new seats.

At Terna Medical College, the 22 new seats have been distributed across several disciplines, including 6 for pathology, 3 each for community medicine and obstetrics & gynecology, 5 for radio-diagnosis, and 5 for anesthesiology. Prakash Medical College in Sangli received approval for 5 seats in pediatrics, 3 in ophthalmology, 4 in radio-diagnosis, and 5 in obstetrics & gynecology.

At Civic Medical College, 17 new seats were granted, with 8 of them allocated to obstetrics & gynecology, 4 to gynecology, 3 to general medicine, and 2 to orthopedics. ESIC Medical College will now offer 3 additional seats each in anesthesiology and pathology, along with 2 new seats in biochemistry, general surgery, and pediatrics.

This significant expansion is expected to benefit a large number of medical aspirants in Maharashtra, particularly as many of these colleges did not previously offer postgraduate programs. With more seats still awaiting approval, the capacity for medical education in the state is on the rise.

A local parent, Sudha Shenoy, welcomed the move. “These colleges did not offer PG courses earlier. But as medical PG admissions are yet to be announced, a few more seats will likely be added to this list. Existing courses are also set to receive an increase in seats,” she told the Indian Express.

Last year, Maharashtra received permission for 2,303 seats for PG medical admissions, which included 1,499 government seats and 804 private seats. With the NMC’s latest approval of these 68 new seats, the total number of available PG medical seats in Maharashtra for 2024-2025 has increased to 2,371. Of these, 1,533 are government seats, while 838 are offered by private institutions.

The state is now preparing for the upcoming admissions season, with further seat approvals anticipated to expand access to postgraduate medical education. This move reflects the broader national efforts to address the growing demand for highly qualified medical professionals in India.

(Input From Various Sources)

(Rehash/Ankur Deka/MSM)