Kerala: 8 Medical Colleges to be debarred student intake for 2 years, says MCI

Kochi: The Medical Council of India(MCI), in a report submitted to the Central Government recently, has informed that eight of the 11 private medical colleges in Kerala, who were given conditional recognition by the Supreme Court appointed-Oversight Committee have failed to muster adequate facilities for continuing to take admissions in the ensuing years. The MCI in its report has asked the centre to debar these medical institutions from taking in any fresh admissions from 2017-18.

The Supreme Court appointed Oversight Committee, had granted these medical institutions conditional permission to take in students for the year 2016-17. This was done despite the prior MCI recommendation of de recognition for lack of adequate facilities in these institutions.

The Oversight Committee order reversed the MCI recommendation, allowing these colleges to admit students subject to certain conditions.

The 11 colleges mentioned on the Medical Council of India website as the ones granted conditional permission for renewal of recognition include: Al Azhar Medical College and Super Speciality Hospital, Thodupuzha,Kerala Medical College, Palakkad, Malabar Medical College, Kozhikode, PK Das Institute of Medical Sciences, Palakkad, and SR Medical College & Research Centre, Varkala, Mount Zion Medical College, Pathanamthitta, KMCT Medical College, Kozhikode,DM Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences, Wayanad, Dr Somervel Memorial CSI Hospital and Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur Medical College, Kannur and Gokulam Medical College and Research Foundation.

The Thiruvanathapuram Medical College also got permission from the OC to increase medical seats besides its de recognition order being reversed. The Oversight Committee's directive stated that all these colleges will have to submit affidavits to fill in the existing deficiencies and will be subject to an MCI inspection after 30^th September, 2016, for compliance verification.

The Oversight Committee also made clear that if the colleges failed the MCI's compliance check after the 30^th September,2016, they would be debarred from student intake for the coming two years, commencing from 2017-18.

The colleges during the inspection were to come up to mark in terms of adequate faculty, infrastructure, clinical material, bed occupancy and other requirements.

"As per OC instructions, we conducted inspection and found that many of the colleges have failed to remove the deficiencies and we have informed the Central government of the same," said a MCI official.

Notices have already been issued to these colleges and two have already responded said sources.

"Of these 11 colleges, three of them have complied with the OC stipulations at the time of MCI inspection. However, eight have failed and they are at risk of being debarred for two years," said a private medical college management official to TOI.

The apex education regulator and the various college managements have however, refrained from commenting on the issue.