SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Oct 18: Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad has received approval for 10 new postgraduate (PG) seats across three departments from the 2025–26 academic session.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has granted approval for PG courses in Surgery, Gynaecology and Biochemistry. Four seats each have been sanctioned in Surgery and Gynaecology, while two seats have been approved in Biochemistry. With this addition, the total number of PG seats at SNMMCH has risen to 19.
Last year, NMC had approved nine PG seats for the institution — six in Medicine and three in Orthopaedics.
Principal Terms PG Approval a Milestone
SNMMCH principal Dr. S.K. Chourasia said that the application for PG seats was made in four departments — Surgery, Biochemistry, Gynaecology and Pathology — out of which three received approval.
Dr. Chourasia, who is also the Head of the Department of Surgery and is set to retire this month, called the development a personal milestone. “It was my dream to launch PG courses in this college. Missing out on pathology seats is, of course, a personal setback,” he said.
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SNMMCH Misses Out on 150 MBBS Seats
Unlike Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital (MGMMCH) and Tata Manipal Medical College, which received approval for 50 additional MBBS seats each from the 2025–26 session, SNMMCH did not get any additional MBBS seats.
According to official sources, the institution did not apply for the 150 MBBS seats during the application window. At that time, Dr. K.K. Lal was the principal. In contrast, MGMMCH and Tata Manipal submitted their applications and secured approval.
Principal Dr. Chourasia defended the decision not to apply, citing infrastructural limitations. “The college would have faced heavy penalties for applying without the required infrastructure. NMC imposes strict fines in such cases,” he explained.
Infrastructure and Faculty Shortages
As per NMC norms, institutions offering 150 MBBS seats must have lecture theatres with 180 seats each. SNMMCH currently has three lecture theatres, but each can only accommodate 120 students, making it ineligible for expansion at this stage.
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The shortage of faculty further compounds the problem. The college has only six professors — two in Surgery (Principal Dr. S.K. Chourasia and Superintendent Dr. D.K. Gindauria), and one each in Biochemistry (Dr. Sunil Kumar Verma), Eye (Dr. Dharmendra Kumar), Gynaecology (Dr. Raj Laxmi Tubid), and Blood Bank (Dr. Ajay Kumar). The remaining 22 departments do not have a single professor, creating a major academic gap.
