5 colleges await MCI approval, varsity puts counselling on hold

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 25

The Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) today announced that two medical and three dental colleges in the state would not be allowed to conduct admissions. The Medical Council of India (MCI) has not yet allowed these colleges to hold admissions for the 2015-2016 batch. The state will lose 300 MBBS seats and 250 BDS seats.

The BFUHS will start the counselling process to fill MBBS and BDS seats in 22 medical and dental colleges on May 27. Dr DS Sidhu, Registrar, BFUHS, said the colleges denied permission were Punjab Institute of Medical Science (PIMS), Jalandhar, Chintpurni Medical College and Hospital, Pathankot, SKS Sarabha Dental College, Sarabha, Rayat Bahra Dental College, Mohali, and Sri Sukhmani Dental College, Dera Bassi. 

Out of the total 15,152 students who took the Punjab Pre-Medical Entrance Test (PMET) on May 17, 7,043 students were declared eligible for 1,070 MBBS seats in eight medical colleges and 1,190 BDS seats in 14 dental colleges in the state. However, the MBBS and BDS seats available now are 770 and 940, respectively. 

The MCI advised the Centre not to allow Chintpurni Medical College and Hospital, PIMS and three dental colleges to conduct admissions after finding out certain deficiencies in these in February 2015. 

Dr NS Sharma, Principal, Chintpurni Medical College, said the college management had approached the High Court and they were hopeful of getting their permission to admit students renewed in the first week of June. The counselling conducted by the BFUHS will be over by June 20.

Dr Sidhu, Registrar of the BFUHS, said if these colleges got permission at a later stage, they would be considered for admission in the subsequent rounds of counselling. “However, students need to be aware about the present status of these five colleges,” he said.