Fatehgarh Sahib’s RIMT Medical College Gets NMC Approval for 50 MBBS seats
Patiala: A private institution in
Fatehgarh Sahib, RIMT Medical College and Hospital, has received approval from
the National Medical Commission (NMC) to commence its MBBS program from the
current academic session with 50 seats.
With this latest approval, private medical colleges now offer 850 out of the total 1,550 MBBS seats available in the state. RIMT Medical College, which was initially denied permission in the NMC’s first list this year, successfully appealed and secured the 50 seats.
While the college initially applied for 100
seats, the NMC granted permission for half the number. This addition brings the
total number of private medical colleges in Punjab to 11, compared to just four
government institutions, reports Hindustan Times.
College principal Dr. B.S. Brar expressed hope
that the number of seats would increase to 150 in the coming years. He added
that these newly approved seats would likely be available for the second or
third rounds of counselling, considering that the first round admission has
already been completed, reports the daily.
“This is a positive
development for MBBS aspirants in Punjab. We are planning to increase the
number of seats to 150 in the coming years as we have the required
infrastructure as sought by the NMC,” said Brar.
However, the high cost of
medical education remains a challenge. In private medical colleges, the tuition
fee for an MBBS course under the management quota is ₹58.02 lakh, while a
government quota seat costs ₹22.54 lakh.
Meanwhile, the state
government’s promise of opening 16 new government medical colleges within five
years remains unfulfilled. Due to the lengthy process required for NMC
approvals, no new government medical college can begin operations before 2026.
Construction of proposed government institutions in Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala
is still ongoing, making it unlikely that they will be able to offer MBBS seats
in the next academic session.
