Kolkata, Jan. 29 -- Burdwan Medical College has appealed to the National Medical Commission to raise the number of MBBS seats by 50.
State Health department and state Health university have already given clearance for increasing the number of seats.
The medical college authorities have decided to set up two more lecture theatres besides the four existing ones. Currently, there are 200 MBBS sanctioned seats in the Burdwan Medical College. If everything goes as per plan, the medical college may soon get 50 more MBBS seats.
A senior state Health department official said there was a need to produce more doctors to improve patient services, especially in districts and rural areas. Bengal's doctor-patient ratio is, like most Indian states, way less than what is required. There is one doctor for every 10,000 people in Bengal. The World Health Organisation recommends a doctor-patient ratio of 1 doctor for every 1,000 people.
The Mamata Banerjee government, after coming to power, increased the number of undergraduate and post graduate medical seats and also nursing seats.
More doctors graduating every year will help bridge the gap. There are nearly 6,000 MBBS seats in 37 medical colleges in Bengal.
Among them, 24 are state-run colleges.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.