SRINAGAR : In yet another major milestone for the Health & Medical Department in J&K, National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) has approved 39 more seats for Govt. Medical Colleges and District Hospitals of J&K.
Out of the 39 sanctioned seats, 17 seats are post MBBS DNB seats and 22 are post MBBS Diploma seats. With this, the total P.G seats approval for J&K has risen to 124 (102 DNB and 22 Diploma) and this is over and above the DM/MCH and MD/MS courses already being run in Jammu & Kashmir.
District Hospital, Kulgam in a significant development gets accreditation in General Medicine and has been granted 2 seats for Diplomate of National Board (DNB) by National Board of Examination and has become 3rd District Hospital to start DNB Courses. With this, the total seats granted for District Hospitals of J&K are 10. Pertinent to mention that earlier DH Gandhi Nagar had got 6 seats in Anesthesia and Medicine and DH JLNM Srinagar had got 2 seats in Medicine.
Mission Director, NHM, Yasin Choudhary while giving details about the development said that, under DNB programme in UT, a total of 144 applications were submitted by various health institutions out of which 53 applications are approved till date against which 124 seats have been granted to the accredited departments consequent to the concerted efforts and hard work of the Administrative department H&ME J&K, NHM J&K and the team of health institutions being monitored by Vivek Bhardwaj, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Department.
New GMCs have received the total approval of 33 seats (11 DNB and 22 Diploma seats). New GMC Baramulla has received the sanction of 5 post MBBS DNB seats in General Medicine and 22 post MBBS Diploma seats in the specialties of Family Medicine (4 seats), Anaesthesia (4 seats), Pediatrics (4 seats), Obs & Gynae. (4 seats), ENT (3 seats) and Ophthalmology (3 seats).New GMC Anantnag received approval of 2 seats in General Surgery, new GMC Kathua received approval of 2 seats in DNB Anatomy and GMC Rajouri received approval of 2 seats in DNB General Medicine. With this, the total seat approval for new GMCs till date becomes 59 (37 DNB seats and 22 Diploma seats)
Additionally, GMC Srinagar has been granted 2 seats in Doctorate of National Board (DrNB) Critical Care Medicine and GMC Jammu has been granted 2 seats in DrNB Neurology.
Pertinent to mention that the DNB (Diplomate of National Board) courses have been introduced in the District Hospitals and new Govt. Medical Colleges besides old GMCs and SKIMS in order to strengthen the institutions, decongest the Govt. Medical Colleges and to address the shortage of specialists in the UT of J&K.
Moreover, 35 more departments of DHs/ GMCs have been assessed by NBEMS and their accreditation is awaited. The DNB courses are expected to drastically improve the health care services in the far flung districts and improve the services in the tertiary care institutions as well. This is also expected to markedly bring down the referral from the far flung districts to the already overburdened tertiary care institutes of the UT of J&K.