Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling on Tuesday sought the intervention of Union Health Minister J P Nadda for grant of Letter of Permission (LoP) for admission of MBBS students in two new government medical colleges.
During a meeting held in New Delhi in the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Mahaling sought steps for issueance of LoPs for 200 MBBS seats at Pavitra Mohan Pradhan Medical College (PMPMC), Talcher, and Government Medical College (GMC), Phulbani, for the academic year 2025–26.
The Minister also discussed measures to further strengthen healthcare services in Odisha.
The Deans and Principals of both institutions submitted their applications for the LoP through the National Medical Commission (NMC) portal on January 18, 2025.
Subsequently, the NMC conducted physical inspections of the campuses — at PMPMC, Talcher on June 23, and at GMC, Phulbani on May 28.
It was stated that the state government has already allocated the required budgetary support to develop infrastructure and ensure quality medical education at both institutions.
If the LoPs are granted, the number of functional government medical colleges in the state will increase from 14 to 16, and the total number of MBBS seats in government institutions will rise to 1,800.
Also present at the meeting were Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water, and Rural Development Minister Rabi Narayan Naik, and MPs Bhartruhari Mahtab (Cuttack), Pradeep Purohit (Bargarh), and Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi (Kandhamal).
