A Plus to D- Maharashtra Medical, Dental colleges to get grades, says MUHS

Mumbai: Gradation of medical and dental colleges, a long pending state government project, will finally take off the ground this year.

346 colleges affiliated to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences(MUHS) will be graded on the lines of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) to help students make quality choices at the time of admission.

The ‘impact assessment project’ as it is called will cover gradation of colleges offering other applied health sciences courses too.

Medical colleges will be awarded grades from A+ to D after an inspection by the MUHS. Ayurveda and homeopathy college inspections were held and completed a few months ago.

A physiotherapy courses review is underway. A committee will be constituted to inspect medical colleges too.

The assessment would consist of two parts-A) infrastructure at an institute and the attached hospital -700 marks; B) academic parameters -1,000 marks).

“The idea is to enhance the quality of education at medical colleges. It will also help students to make an informed choice during admissions,” MUHS, Registrar, Kalidas Chavan told TOI.

Medical Colleges were assessed by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for the first time this year. Dr Avinash Supe, Dean KEM Hospital, and GS Medical College said the medical college gradation would help develop a sense of quality and competition, though the system required support in terms of adequate resources and information.