Bengal now has 4,000 MBBS seats, tweets CM

Kolkata: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday took to Twitter to announce that the number of MBBS seats in Bengal had been increased to 4,000.

After coming to power in 2011, she had declared her goal to set up medical colleges in every district and keeping that promise in mind, she announced that Purulia would get a medical college with 100 seats. Gouri Devi Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital, a private medical college in Durgapur, on the other hand has received the approval of the National Medical Commission to have 150 seats.

“I am pleased to announce that we now have 4,000 MBBS seats for Bengal’s vibrant medical students with the initiation of the first MBBS batch in Purulia Govt MCH consisting of 100 seats & the addition of 150 MBBS seats in Gouri Devi Medical College,” the CM tweeted.

When the Trinamool government came to power, the number of MBBS seats in Bengal was around 1,500. In 2019, four medical colleges were inaugurated in Diamond Harbour, Raigunj, Cooch Behar and Rampurhat.

Dr Amiya Kumar Maity who mentors NEET students welcomed the “good news on MBBS seats”, but called for proper vigil on private medical colleges. Dr Debajyoti Kar who too mentors MBBS aspirants welcomed the announcement. A PG student, however, said the infrastructure in medical colleges — including library and hostels — needed to be upgraded further.