Bhubaneswar, May 10: The state government will seek the Medical Council of India’s approval to increase seats for super-specialty courses such as doctor of medicine and master of surgery to 61.

At present, there are 24 seats for various super-specialty courses only at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

The government wants to introduce super-specialty courses at VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla, MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur, and Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Research Centre, Cuttack, apart from increasing seats at SCB.

Health secretary Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra has directed deans of the three medical colleges and director of the regional cancer research centre to apply to the council for the seat hike.

Sources in the health department said SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack had got 17 super-specialty departments. Of these, there are 24 seats with three-year course curriculum for 10 subjects. However, according to the requirement, there should be more seats in eight departments. New course curriculum in nine departments is also on cards.

According to the health department’s decision, there will be two seats each in nephrology, neurology, gastro-enterology, hepatology, pulmonary medicine, neurosergery, surgical gastro-enterology, plastic surgery and paediatric surgery at SCB Medical College.

Similarly, there will be one seat each in cardiac anaesthesiology, critical care, cardio-thoracic vascular surgery and urology at the institution.

While there will be two seats each in cardiology at VSS Medical College and Hospital, Burla, and MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur, for the first time, super-specialty seats will be opened at the cancer research centre in various streams of oncology.

The postgraduate and super-specialty oncology courses at the cancer research centre will have medical oncology, surgical oncology, gynaecological oncology and head and neck oncology, so that better super-specialty care can be provided to patients.