Srinagar: The Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara and GMC Udhampur have their first batch of MBBS students in the process of enrolling.
The development is being seen as a significant milestone for improving the access to quality healthcare in the peripheral areas of the J&K.
With the first round of counseling, the 85 seats each in these medical colleges were filled, the aspirants jubilant with the seat augmentation this year.
The 15 percent of the 1300 seats in J&K’s medical colleges are part of the All-India quota.
This is the second year when J&K has participated in the AIQ.
Secretary Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BoPEE) Firdous Giri told Greater Kashmir that the list of 1113 candidates along with the colleges they had been allotted had been published.
“The aspirants have already joined the colleges, including GMC Handwara and Udhampur,” he said.
The last date for joining is August 18.
He expressed satisfaction with the response the new medical colleges had received.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Director Coordination New GMCs, Dr Yashpal Sharma said that the establishment of the new GMCs in Handwara and in Udhampur had already had a positive impact on the healthcare delivery in the areas far from capital cities.
He said that with the new batches joining, the healthcare delivery in these areas was set to further see an improvement.
Giving details, Dr Sharma said that the faculty of the GMCs was accomplished and senior doctors from very reputed institutes rendered their services at the associated hospitals of the medical colleges.
“First of all, the doctor shortage is addressed as the faculty of the medical college is a senior specialist,” he said.
Dr Sharma said in a few years, the new batches would be ready to add on to the strength of the doctors and there would be very few referrals.
“Access to healthcare and quality healthcare is the first goal of the medical colleges in addition to improving the availability of doctors and avenues for medical education,” he said.
Dr Sharma said that there was no doubt that the infrastructure at the new GMCs was yet to be completed.
“It will take time, but there is no compromise to the delivery of education. Whatever the students need for studies, we have kept it ready,” he said.
GMC Handwara has district Kupwara as its catchment area.
The district is at 2 to 9 hours distance from Srinagar, and the most under-served area in terms of healthcare access and manpower.
The new medical colleges in J&K are the result of a strategic initiative by the Centre to strengthen medical education and healthcare services in the region and across the country.
By establishing these colleges, challenges such as doctor shortages and unequal access to healthcare, especially in remote areas, were meant to be addressed.
J&K has seen establishment of seven medical colleges as part of this initiative, five in the first phase.