As part of the Union Health Ministry's new scheme for strengthening and upgrading government medical colleges by increasing the number of post graduate medical seats, the Medical Council of India has sanctioned an additional number of 33 PG Seats in various specialities in the Government Kilpauk Medical College in Chennai, from this academic year.

With this, the total number of seats in the nine specialties will increase to 81, said Dr V Kanagasabai, Dean of KMC, Chennai.

A team of officials from MCI had visited the Medical College last month to inspect the infrastructure facilities in the college and subsequently they sanctioned additional seats.

MCI has also approved two more PG Courses to start from this academic year in the College. The seats include one Post Graduate in MD Physiology and two PG seats in McH Surgical Gastroenterology.

In addition to the existing seats, additional PG seats increased this year are four in McH Urology and five in MS General Surgery. Currently these two specialties have two and 13 seats respectively.

In orthopaedics, currently the college has five seats in the PG level, but additional three more seats have been increased. In MD anaesthesiology the number of seats at present is four, but the speciality gets two more seats from this academic year.

In MD General Medicine, the number of students at present is 12, additional seat allotted this year is four.

In MD Obstetrics and Gynaecology already the college has three seats, additional number of four seats have been sanctioned. In McH plastic surgery additional four seats have been sanctioned in addition to the existing two.

Likewise, in DM Gastroenterology, already four seats are there, additional two more seats have been allotted. In MD paediatrics, currently the number is two, additional two more seats have been increased.