Srinagar, 31 May(KNS): As a step towards strengthening public healthcare scenarios in J&K, 12 more seats have been sanctioned by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Science (NBEMS) under DNB for the public institutions of J&K.  

 

These seats shall be in addition to the earlier granted 270 DNB seats. JLNM Hospital Srinagar received approval for 2 seats in Orthopedics; GMC Rajouri received approval for 2 seats in Paediatrics; DH Poonch received approval for 2 seats in Surgery,  DH Reasi 2 seats in General Medicine and Department of Anesthesiology GMC Baramulla  given accreditation for starting DNB courses with intake of 4 PGs  2 primary DNB and 2 Secondary DNB seats per year. .

 

Bhupinder Kumar, Secretary Health & Medical Education Department has congratulated the entire health & medical education department for this achievement and has expressed happiness over the fact that even far-flung facilities like DH Poonch & DH Reasi has been able to start Post Graduate Courses in these hospitals.

 

Ayushi Sudan(IAS),Mission Director, NHM, J&K while giving details about the development said that Implementation of the DNB courses at the District Levels in J&K has been termed as a Best Practice in the Country. Under DNB programme in the UT, a total of 270 seats were granted to the accredited departments during session 2022 & start of 2023 consequent to the concerted efforts and hard work of the Administrative department H&ME J&K, NHM J&K and the team of health institutions being monitored by Shri Bhupinder Kumar, Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department.

 

All the efforts are being made to scale up the DNB courses to all the District Hospitals and potential CHCs of J&K. During the upcoming session, J&K is planning to submit more than 30 applications in all District Hospitals”, she added.

 

Earlier in the month of March, 20 seats were approved in the UT of J&K in which Govt. Medical College Srinagar received approval of 2 seats in FNB Paediatric Anesthesia. JLNM Hospital, Srinagar received 3 Post MBBS DNB seats in General Surgery, DH Udhampur received a sanction of 5 seats under Pediatrics, General Medicine and Orthopedics. DH Poonch received 2 seats in General Medicine. Dh Ganderbal got a sanction of 2 seats each in DNB General Medicine & Diploma Pediatrics. DH Kulgam received 2 seats in Family Medicine and CHC Kupwara got 2 seats in Diploma Pediatrics.

 

Pertinent to mention that the DNB (Diplomate of National Board) courses have been introduced in the District Hospitals and new Govt. Medical Colleges besides old GMCs and SKIMS in order to strengthen the institutions, decongest the Govt. Medical Colleges and to address the shortage of specialists in the UT of J&K.

 

Implementation of DNB courses has led to an equitable distribution of health care services and manpower especially in far flung and hard to reach areas and beneficial to the population which have very meagre access to health care services in their areas, leading to low referrals from DNB institutions to Tertiary care institutions thereby further decreasing the Out of pocket expenditure (OOPE) of the patients.(KNS)