In a major boost to specialised medical education in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved 24 new super-specialty postgraduate (PG) seats in the long established Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) of Jammu and Srinagar, and SKIMS, Soura.
The seats have been approved in streams like Cardiology, Urology, Pulmonary Medicine, Medical Gastroenterology, Paediatric Surgery, Neuro-Anaesthesia, Paediatric and Neonatal Anaesthesia and Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.
Minister for health and medical education Sakeena Itoo described the development as a major milestone.
“This achievement reflects the government’s sustained efforts to improve healthcare standards and ensure advanced and specialised medical services are available within Jammu and Kashmir. The addition of super-specialty PG seats will not only empower our young doctors with opportunities for advanced training locally but will also significantly benefit patients by improving access to specialised care,” Itoo said.
Jammu and Kashmir has 12 government medical colleges or institutions, including one run by a trust and another a deemed university(SKIMS). Five of these — in Anantnag, Baramulla, Kathua, Rajouri and Doda — became functional in 2019–20.
Earlier on February 17, the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) accredited three DrNB (Doctorate of National Board) super-specialty seats in cardiology to Government Medical College, Anantnag, making it the first among the medical colleges established in 2019 to receive such recognition.
Itoo said that the expansion of super-specialty seats aligns with the broader vision of strengthening the healthcare ecosystem, reducing patient referrals outside J&K, and ensuring timely, high-quality treatment closer to home.
The minister acknowledged the continuous efforts of the faculty, medical college administrations and Department, adding that their dedication and compliance with NMC standards made this approval possible.
“This development marks another milestone in the Government’s ongoing healthcare reforms and reinforces our commitment to transforming Jammu and Kashmir into a centre of excellence in medical education and specialised healthcare”, she said.
The NMC has approved four seats in DM Cardiology and four seats in MCh Urology for GMC, Jammu, two seats each in DM Pulmonary Medicine, DM Cardiology, DM Medical Gastroenterology, M.Ch Urology and M.Ch Paediatric Surgery for GMC Srinagar, besides two seats each in DM Neuro-Anaesthesia, DM Paediatric and Neonatal Anaesthesia and DM Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology for Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar.
