The Medical Council of India (MCI) has decided to cut at least 350 MBBS seats in government-run medical colleges in the state.

Sources said in the MCI executive committees meeting held at its Delhi headquarters on Wednesday, the members decided the new colleges - Government Medical College, Bettiah, and Vardhaman Ayurvigyan Sansthan, Pawapuri- would not be allowed to take admission in each of their 100-seat MBBS courses. The MCI also decided that Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College (ANMCH), Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH) would also not be allowed to take admission to each of their additional 50 MBBS seats.

The sources said these colleges had not been sent any official information regarding the MCI decision yet.

After pruning of 350 seats, the state would be left with only 610 MBBS seats this year.

Principal secretary, health, Brajesh Mehrotra and deputy secretary, health, Anil Kumar could not be contacted despite several attempts while health minister Ramdhani Singh said: "I am out of Patna. I will be back on May 19. Only then I would be able to answer your queries."

The MBBS aspirants and doctors were quite disappointed after hearing the decision. "It is very disappointing new for the medical aspirants. State-run medical colleges give preference to those aspirants who belong to the respective states during admission. Now that the MBBS seats would be less in the state, the chances of getting admission to state-run medical colleges would be very less for us," said Snigdha Verma (19), a resident Rajeev Nagar. Abhishek Bharti (20), another medical aspirant, echoed Snigdha.

The doctor fraternity, however, had a mixed view on the MCI decision. "Most of the state-run colleges still face a huge faculty crisis. Patna Medical College and Hospital, which happens to be the oldest medical college and hospital in the state, face faculty crisis. The health department has failed to do regular appointments in the government medical colleges, which have created this shortage of doctors there. Unless the state government removes this deficiency, these things would recur. The MCI would be tough against the medical colleges and there is nothing wrong in it," said Sanjiv Ranjan Kumar Singh, secretary, IMA.

Former IMA president and Government Medical College, Bettiah, principal Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said the MCI sword was always on the government medical colleges and not on the private ones. "Considering the fact that the government medical colleges are more useful for aspirants, especially for those who are poor, the MCI should take a lenient approach towards them."

IMA vice-president Sunil Kumar Singh said: "The MCI should review the minimum standard, which it has fixed for medical colleges. Many deficiencies should be advisory in nature but the MCI acts tough against government medical colleges even for minor deficiencies. The MCI should change its stand."