Tamil Nadu to start 17 new medical colleges; To have highest number of MBBS seats: Report

NEW DELHI: The Tamil Nadu government has decided to start 17 new medical colleges with 2,350 MBBS seats becoming the state with the highest number of medical colleges, reported the Times of India.

With the addition of new colleges, the state will have 69 medical colleges offering more than 10,000 medical seats which is the highest in India, according to the National Medical Commission (NMC) website, the report said.

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The state currently has 37 government colleges offering 5,125 seats, which are attached to the government hospitals, the report said.

“We have got permission for all the 11 new colleges we had applied for with this we will be able to add 1,450 MBBS seats this year. This is the biggest addition to the seat matrix we have made in one year. We also have permission to add 50 more seats to the government Coimbatore medical college,” R Narayanababu, director of medical education was quoted as saying.

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In the year 2021, around 12% of government medical seats in India are from the state implying that the state will provide the highest number of seats under the 15% All India Quota, he added.

Four new self-financing medical colleges – Arunai Medical College and Hospital in Tiruvannamalai, Swamy Vivekanandha Medical College Hospital and Research Institute in Namakkal, Faculty of Medicine, Sri Lalithambigai Medical College and Hospital in Chennai and St Peter's Medical College Hospital and Research Institute in Krishnagiri that are attached to the state TN Dr MGR Medical University will add 600 MBBS seats.

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Tamil Nadu health minister MA Subramanian said that the state has a policy of having at least one government medical college in every district, the report said.

All UG medical college hospitals will start PG medical programmes and specialty courses within the next five years, he said.