PGIMER approval to start their own independent MSc Nuclear medicine Course and to discontinue the joint MSc program with PU 

Chandigarh, June 29, 2022: PGIMER approval to start their own independent MSc Nuclear medicine Course and to discontinue the joint MSc program with PU was taken by Governing Body of PGI  on 3.4.2021 and communicated to Panjab University. The request of the University to adjust the training of 2021-2022 batch was agreed by the PGI authority.
 
PGI's own advertisement for admission to their own MSc Nuclear Medicine Technology course (2022-2024) and admission is underway. The PGI proposal to start their own MSc Program and terminate the joint program was mainly because Department of Nuclear Medicine at PU has only one faculty member, thus the teaching is not adequate and the same was the concern of the students.
 
The MSc Nuclear Medicine course throughout the country is run by the medical Institutes only with full 2 years exposure to Clinical Nuclear Medicine procedures. Therefore, only 1-year clinical training at PGI during the 2nd year duration of this joint program was not sufficient and the same had been the concern of the professional bodies of the specialty of Nuclear Medicine.
 
It is only the good will gesture of the authority of the PGI that they have agreed to accommodate one year training of the already admitted batch of 2021-2023. This training will start from July, 2022- June 2023.
 
The fresh admission of the students by the University in the current session -2022 may not be possible in the current situation and has been put on hold in the larger interests of the students. This kind of uncertainties shall have impact on the life of the students being admitted.
 
In the light of the above background, the university would like to review the feasibility and long -term viability of this course especially in the background of the PGI starting their own program and lack of any long -term commitment between the Institutes. And as per the observations of the professional national bodies- the one year training is not-adequate and in the long term will have implications in the approval of this course by the regulatory body (AERB) when every where else it is 2 years clinical training in Masters Program and 3 years training in Bachelor program.
 
In this direction, the university authorities on the repeated observations and recommendations of the UGC, NAAC committee, is seriously exercising on the merger of the such small departments with the relevant and bigger departments of the University informed Prof. Renu Vig, Dean of University Instructions, Panjab University, Chandigarh.