Chandigarh: The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) is drafting an infrastructure and faculty recruitment proposal for the Union health ministry to launch its first undergraduate medical college on the 50-acre Sarangpur campus.The satellite centre will host an annual intake of 100 MBBS students, easing the fierce competition for medical seats in Chandigarh. However, the transition from a purely postgraduate research institute requires establishing foundational basic science departments mandated by National Medical Commission guidelines.While PGI’s existing anatomy and biochemistry divisions can adapt to the undergraduate curriculum, the institute completely lacks a physiology department. Resolving this hurdle requires hiring specialized academic faculty and procuring complex experimental laboratory equipment from scratch.“We must establish this framework before the new curriculum can officially commence,” a PGI official stated, noting that the health ministry requested the formal requirements. The central government initially approved PGI’s undergraduate expansion in June 2022 to augment the city’s limited medical seats.
