228 BDS seats remain vacant across Punjab

Balwant Garg

Faridkot, November 15

In the 7th and last attempt to fill all BDS courses seats in the state, the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) on Wednesday got only 6 candidates admitted against 234 vacant BDS seats. This special walk-in-physical special stray vacancy round of counselling for the 234 left over seats in BDS courses was held today after the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) got nod for this delayed admission from the Supreme Court.

September 30 was the stipulated cut-off date for admission in MBBS and BDS courses, fixed by the Supreme Court. As many seats remained vacant in many private medical and dental colleges across the country on this cut-off date, the colleges’ managements had demanded the MCC for an extension of date. On this, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare approached the Apex Court, seeking extension. The court had then allowed extending the last date of admission to MBBS and BDS to November 15.

While many dental colleges, having vacant seats in Punjab offer many incentive and fee concession to the students to lure them to join the BDS course, only six students turned up against 234 vacant seats to join the course on this last date of admission.

16 dental colleges in Punjab offer 1,350 BDS seats and now 228 seats will remain vacant.