MCI finds gross deficiencies during Mohali Medical College inspection

Mohali: The much-anticipated functioning of Mohali Medical College is likely to get delayed by a year as several deficiencies were found by the Medical Council of India (MCI) during its recent inspection conducted to grant permission for the academic year 2020-21.

As per a recent media report in HT, confirmation to this effect to the daily was given by a source in MCI.

The MCI inspection was conducted on November 15 by a three-member team for almost 10 hours duration. MCI, in its report, pointed out many shortcomings including poor infrastructure and equipment, failure to recruit faculty and the basic requirement to set up a medical college ie. to upgrade the existing civil hospital to 300 beds.

The report further highlighted that not a single room has been designated as the anatomy, biochemistry and physiology department, which is essential to begin the functioning of a medical college.

Moreover, the MCI team stated that the 50 beds of the de-addiction centre located at a distance of 10 km away in Sector 66 cannot be included in the hospital as it located far from the site.

It has been reported by the daily that the MCI team also interrogated about upgrading the civil hospital into a medical college instead of developing the project anew over 9 acres of land that was allotted to the department at nearby Jhujhar Nagar.

The project for Mohali Medical College with 220 MBBS was sanctioned under the Centre-State partnership scheme in a 40:60 at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore in 2012.

Amid various hurdles, the Punjab Government was looking forward to begin the new academic in the medical college from 2020-21 including the strife to find a required land area which got resolved after MLA Balbir Sidhu offered 9 acres in Jhujhar Nagar near Civil Hospital, Phase VI in Mohali.

The recent MCI inspection report has hindered the speedy escalation of the project. The state cabinet had even approved the recruitment for 994 faculty posts for Mohali Medical College including posts of teaching faculty, para-medical staff and multi-task workers for the upcoming government medical college.

Also Read: Punjab Cabinet approves Recruitment for 994 faculty posts at Mohali Medical College

It was also expected that the first session of the new college would begin in 2020-21 as assurance was given by the Om Prakash Soni, Minister of Medical Education and Research, Punjab. However, the MCI inspection report has indeed proved to be an impediment.

Responding to the same, the MCI team was apprised that the anatomy, biochemistry and physiology departments will be constructed within 8 months in the existing building of Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC), which was vacated for the purpose while the construction of the hostel will also take at least 8 months.

Dr Avnish Kumar, director, research and medical education, Punjab, told HT, "It is just an initial report. The MCI will seek a compliance report in March."

"We are hopeful of finishing the work by this year-end. We will try not to delay the project," Kumar added.