Ranchi, Nov. 18: Jharkhand is likely to produce more MBBS doctors from 2012 as the state government has started the process to increase the number of seats in three medical colleges.

The government expects to add 50 seats from the next session (2006-07) itself and additional 110 seats from the following session. Thus the total number of MBBS seats will be 350 from the existing 190, from 2007-08 session.

At present there are three medical colleges ? Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College and Hospital (MGMCH) in Jamshedpur and Patliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) in Dhanbad ? which produce 190 MBBS doctors every year.

While MGMCH and PMCH have 50 seats each, RIMS has 90 seats for the undergraduate course. The admission is done through a state-level combined entrance examination for engineering and medical courses.

According to the proposal, the number of seats in RIMS will be increased from existing 90 to 150 and that in MGMCH and PMCH from 50 to 100 each.

Health secretary Shivendu told The Telegraph that the process has begun to increase the number of seats and if everything goes as planned, either MGMCH or PMCH will start taking 50 additional students from 2006-07 session. The government is hopeful that it will be able to induct increased number of students (350) from 2007-2008 in all the three medical colleges.

?The government thinks that the existing number of seats is not sufficient to cater to the requirement of the state. Therefore, we have decided to increase the number of seats,? he said.

The government has already sent a proposal to the MCI for increasing the number of seats and deposited the mandatory Rs 2.5 lakh with the MCI for RIMS and Rs 2 lakh each for the other two medical colleges.

Sources said there is no dearth of teachers in the medical colleges. ?Moreover, the infrastructure is also satisfactory. The MCI should not have any problem in approving the increased number of seats,? sources added. The construction work has already begun in MGMCH.

Interestingly, RIMS once had 225 MBBS seats but gradually the number came down to present 90. Similarly, the other two medical colleges had 100 seats each long time back but the number came down to 50. Over these years, the infrastructure has only improved. Of course, there was a shortage of teachers but that problem has been solved. The government is also inviting leading medical institutes.

The official, however, clarified that the state government has no proposal to open new medical colleges on its own.