Hyderabad Medical College Faculty on Strike over Pending Salaries: No Classes for 300 MBBS students

Hyderabad: As many as 300 MBBS students attached with Patancheru-based Maheshwara Medical College are staring at an uncertain future due to the institute management's alleged failure in paying salaries of the medical faculty for the past sevseral months.

The faculty, in protest against the non-payment of dues, has initiated a strike, wherein no classes have been taken since a month.

With classes being suspended and mid-term examination less than a month away, these MBBS students are facing a major loss. According to recent media accounts, the aggrieved MBBS students and their parents are running pillar to post requesting concerned authorities to resume back the classes and save the year of their studies.

The parents came to know about the issue around two weeks ago and since then they have met the Director of the medical institute several times, officially and unofficially.

Read Also: Fathima Institute of Medical Sciences: MBBS students who qualified NEET 2018 get Refund Relief of Rs 13 crore

"All they have done is make false promises," the parents alleged while speaking to TOI.

In the first week of February, the parents went and registered a complaint with Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), to which the medical college is affiliated to. "Though the KNRUHS Registrar issued a notice on February 8, the medical college management did nothing to resolve the issue. They did not even bother to respond to varsity's notice," a parent informed TOI.

"Each time we were asked for few days time. Finally, we decided to form an association and met the official. We were told that the salaries would be reimbursed the following Monday and classes will also begin. We were also shown a DD of a few crores but turns out it was fake. They have just been buying time," another parent informed Edexlive.

On February 14, after the parents met the Director, he had issued a letter stating that classes would resume from February 18.

"On behalf of the college, I wish to confirm that the class of the second year, fourth semester will be regularised from February 18. Financial issues will be addressed for the smooth functioning of college and hostel. We are ready to engage extra classes to cover the syllabus at the satisfaction of the students," read the letter.

Read Also: AYUSH to be an Elective Subject in MBBS Curriculum: MCI BoG Chairman

However, no action was taken and infuriated by the same, parents and students staged a dharna at the medical college premises and later complained to the District Collector. Parents then went to Sangareddy District Collector M Hanumanth Rao who has directed the Tehsildar to look into the matter since the medical college operates autonomously.

Recently, on February 19, the MBBS students, parents and medical teachers met the officials of KNRUHS demanding immediate intervention. About 50 parents went to Warangal to submit a request asking university officials to make sure classes resume.

Parents are now mulling legal recourse if the management does not resolve the issue within a week, reports TNIE.

Read Also: Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College: 31 Final year MBBS students fail Medicine Practical, probe ordered

Faculty in no mood to resume MBBS classes

Meanwhile, the faculty has told the Director that unless the salary is paid to them they will not resume classes.

Speaking to Edexlive, a faculty member said, "Students come to college regularly and request us to take classes but unless our dues are cleared classes will be remain suspended. The management has been dilly-dallying us for months now."

Action?

Speaking to TOI, Vice-Chancellor of KNRUHS, Dr B Karunakar Reddy, said they will wait for three-four days to see if the medical college responds.

Read Also: IGIMS Patna: MBBS exam system questioned after 40 out of 96 final year medicos fail

The Maheshwara Medical College And Hospital was established four years ago but last year the medical college did not get approval for admitting fresh batch of students.