The Goa Medical College (GMC) will expand the State’s options for aspirant students seeking medical education. The overall number of seats will increase from 180 to 250 with the addition of about 70 extra MBBS seats, providing more options for undergraduate medical study.
Expanding Opportunities for Medical Education
GMC wants to strengthen its educational options by adding new MD/MS and super-speciality degrees in addition to adding more MBBS seats. MCh pediatric surgery, hand surgery, and DM neurology are some of these contributions. The institute also seeks to increase PG medical seats in the departments of surgery, anesthesia, and psychiatry, as well as to provide a specialization degree in DM medical oncology.
Additionally, the GMC plans to start up new postgraduate medical courses in physical therapy, critical care medicine, and emergency medicine. The medical college also hopes to implement postgraduate programmes in physiotherapy and echocardiography inside the oncology system.
Medical Excellence’s Legacy
Goa Medical College (GMC), one of the nation’s oldest medical schools, was founded in 1691. The government-run organization functions as an organic institute under the direction of Goa University. 180 MBBS seats are now available for admission at GMC. Additionally, it offers 14 super-specialty seats, two of which were introduced for MCh Neurosurgery in 2021.
GMC offers 121 slots in various specialties for postgraduate medical education. In particular, PG courses in immunohematology, blood transfusion, and geriatric medicine were established in 2022.
Forward-looking Initiatives
In a significant breakthrough, the National Medical Commission (NMC) granted the GMC permission to create 10 new super-specialty seats in six departments, including cardiothoracic surgery, urology, plastic surgery, cardiology, cardiac anesthesia, and nephrology. Building on this trend, GMC intends to expand its current portfolio.
The GMC has submitted an application to the NMC to offer super-specialty courses in MCh pediatric surgery, hand surgery, and DM neurology, according to Dr. S M Bandekar, the Dean of GMC. A DM Medical Oncology specialist course is also planned by the medical college. The regional cancer center’s construction is anticipated to be finished by the end of the year, and an outpatient department (OPD) specifically for oncology patients is already up and running.
Strengthening Allied Health SciencesÂ
The GMC has taken the initiative to promote degree programmes in allied health sciences. The college launched six of these courses in 2013, totaling 50 students. Following a subsequent increase in seat capacity in 2015, the economically weaker section (EWS) quota received an additional 10 seats in 2019. Although there isn’t a separate structure for the allied health sciences division, students are now accommodated in existing classrooms.
Dr Bandekar has noted that a proposal for an autonomous building for allied health science has been submitted to the Government in an effort to allay this worry. Once completed, this specific location will offer students pursuing these career-oriented courses a more favorable learning environment.
Possibilizing Local Opportunities
An academic representative from GMC emphasized the benefits of doing these courses in Goa itself while noting the inconvenience created by the lack of a designated department for applied health sciences. Such chances were more limited ten years ago, forcing students to pursue their education outside of the state.
Students who enroll in allied health science courses obtain useful, career-focused skills that enable them to work in Goa after earning their degrees. The need to relocate in search of employment opportunities has considerably decreased as a result of this development, which has helped the state’s overall growth and talent retention.
