Medical Council of India (MCI) has turned down the request of Himachal Pradesh government to increase the number of MBBS seats in two government run medical colleges.
The state government has requested to increase the seats from 65 to 100 in Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla and from 50 to 100 in Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda (Kangra).
Senior government officers of medical education department confirmed that the Board of Governors of MCI at its meeting yesterday, refused to grant permission to increase seats both medical colleges.
The MCI, in its meeting yesterday, increased the MBBS seats in three colleges in Jammu and Kashmir - the government medical colleges in Jammu and Srinagar (100 to 150 each) and the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Medical College at Bemina in Srinagar (50 to 100).
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh last month had said that the state had requested the Central government to increase undergraduate seats in both government medical colleges.
Meanwhile, state Health minister Kaul Singh said the government would again take up the matter with MCI.
