New Delhi/Bhubaneswar- In a proactive move to enhance healthcare education and expand medical infrastructure, the Odisha Government has urged the Union Health Ministry to grant approval for MBBS admissions in two newly constructed medical colleges—one in Talcher and the other in Phulbani.
Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling personally appealed to Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda for the immediate issuance of the Letter of Permission (LoP) required for enrolling students for the 2025–26 academic session. The request was made during a high-level meeting also attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The state is seeking approval for a total of 200 MBBS seats—100 each at Pavitra Mohan Pradhan Medical College (PMPMC), Talcher, and Government Medical College (GMC), Phulbani. These additions are expected to significantly improve the doctor-patient ratio in Odisha and cater to underserved regions.
According to officials, both institutions submitted their applications via the National Medical Commission (NMC) portal on January 18, 2025. The NMC has already conducted on-site inspections at the Phulbani campus on May 28 and at Talcher on June 23 to assess readiness in terms of infrastructure and faculty.
The state government has confirmed full budgetary allocation for both colleges to meet the necessary standards set by the NMC. Odisha has emphasized that all arrangements—from teaching faculty to lab facilities—are in place to begin classes without delay.
If the LoPs are approved, the total number of government-run medical colleges in Odisha will rise to 16, increasing the state’s annual MBBS intake in public institutions to 1,800. This is a significant step toward building a stronger medical education system and addressing long-term healthcare demands in rural and remote areas.
Also attending the meeting were Minister Rabi Narayan Naik and Members of Parliament Bhartruhari Mahtab (Cuttack), Pradeep Purohit (Bargarh), and Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi (Kandhamal), who jointly voiced support for the state’s request, underlining the urgent need to expand access to medical education in these districts.
