Reserve 10-15 seats for poor: CM

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal called upon the private medical and dental colleges in the state to reserve 10-15 per cent seats...

Medical education minister hints at raising retirement age of doctors to 65

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal called upon the private medical and dental colleges in the state to reserve 10-15 per cent seats for the economically weaker sections but bright students on the pattern of the recent decision taken by the managements of the private engineering and technical institutions in the state.

Badal and Punjab Medical Education Minister Tikshan Sood were in Mohali to attend a national workshop on Inter-Relationship of State Dental Councils and the Dental Council of India.

In his inaugural address, Badal said it was our foremost duty to provide equal opportunities of education thereby bridging the gap between the rich and poor.

He asked Sood to device ways and means to implement the proposal with detailed deliberations with the management of the private medical and dental colleges to enable the poor and capable students to avail of this opportunity.

Badal also urged the Dental Council of India DCI to start short-term courses in dentistry and oral hygiene in collaboration with the Punjab Dental Council PDC so that Punjabi youth can be gainfully employed.

He added that Punjab was the first state in the country to take a lead in launching the continuing dental education programme.

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He said medical education was an ongoing process and such workshops and conferences offer an ideal platform to dentists and researchers to brush up their knowledge.

Speaking on the occasion, Sood hinted at raising the retirement age for doctors from present 60 to 65 and also reemploying those recently retiring at 60 in Punjab.

He also emphasised the need to have a separate directorate of dental health services to ensure smooth functioning of the dental wing of the Health department.

He said the workshop was aimed at improving the standards of dentistry on par with the dental education being provided internationally.