'Include non-science students in allied health courses'

Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences offers 37,000 seats in various medical education streams after PUC for students but only 23,610 seats are filled up, said RGHUS Vice Chancellor Dr Ramananda Shetty at a talk on “Health science courses opening new vistas” on Thursday.

When there is a maximum demand for medical and dental courses on one side, there are very few opting for allied medical courses such as lab technology, radiology, dialysis and various other courses.

The major reason people don’t opt the course is due to the lack of awareness and also the medical courses demand for students with science backgrounds.

In case if there is a system that will allow Arts and Commerce students to be incorporated in these medical streams and given a bridge course to provide the basic knowledge, then there may be more admissions, he opined and added that the University is working on this issue at present.

Many a times due to lack of science courses in Pre University Colleges in various villages, people are forced to opt either arts or commerce even if they have interest in Science, he added.

With lack of medical professionals and a high demand for them, there is a good scope in these fields and the University is trying to rope in the maximum candidates if they are interested.

RGUHS offers 12 allied medical health courses. The first year of these courses will have uniform subjects.