Will the Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMCRI) get the National Medical Commission’s nod for increasing the intake of MBBS seats from 150 to 250 ahead of its 100th anniversary?
After failing to get permission last year, the MMCRI is now planning to make a decisive attempt amidst rising demand for MBBS seats. The MMCRI is gearing up to put its application before the NMC as it is in the final phase of fulfilling the requirements.
The proposal to increase intake of seats gains significance as many students are going abroad for medical education, with the competition getting tougher in India. Over 16 lakh students wrote NEET last year and the number may go up this year.
The MMCRI has taken up various works, including construction of two new boys’ and girls’ hostels, a lecture complex, and an examination hall accommodating over 500 students.
The erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI) did not increase the seat intake as MMCRI lacked bigger classrooms that could accommodate 250 students. Another reason was the number of outpatients at K.R. Hospital, the teaching hospital of MMCRI, was less than 3,000 daily.
The guidelines for increasing the seats were revised and the MMCRI is hoping to get the approval since its attached hospitals are attending to nearly 2,300 outpatients daily. MMCRI is celebrating its centenary in 2024.
MMCRI Dean and Director Dinesh told The Hindu that the projects are nearing completion and they are hopeful of getting the nod from the next academic year. “Maybe, in June, the intake may go up,” he felt.
He said the number of faculty also needs to go up and efforts are being made to do so. Two hostels with 150 rooms each are being constructed on the campus of PKTB Hospital on KRS Road and these can accommodate 900 students.
The lecture complex is coming up at the old exhibition building near MMCRI main building. The construction of three classrooms that can each accommodate 300-plus students and an examination hall that can accommodate 500-plus students are nearing completion. The UG and PG libraries are also coming up on the same campus.
Plans are afoot to move PG students and interns of MMCRI to the old hostels located in the city and all MBBS students are expected to be accommodated in the new hostels once they are ready. The rooms in the new hostels come with attached restrooms, with better facilities for students. There is no provision for two-sharing. Either it is single or three-sharing.
