Punjab: Students at receiving end after Gian Sagar closure announced

Chandigarh: The Gian Sagar Medical College's immediate ruckus may have died down with the Health Ministry, MCI and the state government mutually having reached the closure and student shift decision. However, student discontent continues to prevail. The process of shift having been delayed has affected their professional careers, as undergraduates and bachelor of dental study students. Resignations of faculty seem to be piling up with every passing day.

Interns who would have under normal course of events passed out in June are now having to wait for extension and completion of the shifting to be able to clear their BDS and MBBS. National and international medical exams to be held in June, September and December will have to be abstained from, as MBBS and BDS degrees that happen to be prerequisites for appearing for these exams will now be delayed.

"With no degrees in our hand we will not be able to give masters in dental surgery (MDS) exam of the PGIMER scheduled for June. Besides this, there is an international exam in September and an exam of National Board of Dental Examination (NBDE) scheduled to be held in December.There are over 105 interns in BDS alone. Our career is being spoiled by the government, that seems unconcerned. The shifting process will take around three months if the government starts the process today," said a BDS intern .

The students, who were doing their internship and were supposed to complete their courses in June, are now waiting for an extension and completion of the shifting process to get their BDS and MBBS cleared. They are also not eligible for the national and international exams that are scheduled to be held in June, September and December, as they will not be having MBBS and BDS degrees.

Attendance having been badly affected would call for students in their final years to attend class in their new colleges, though Baba Farid University promises to take their exams in September to help them save their year loss.

"Career of not only interns but also final year students will be affected. They will have to wait for one more year. The authorities of Baba Farid University, however, had assured that they will admit and take exam of these students in a special batch in September. Though the students will have to meet the attendance requirements of the MCI. Now, to meet the attendance requirements the students will have to attend the classes in a new college," said a college professor preferring anonymity .

Vikas Partap, Secretary, Medical Education, told TOI, "We have been making efforts to save the career of students and for this we speeded up the entire work and thus got approval from the MCI and DCI. Now, the files have been sent by the said authorities to the Union health ministry and a nod is awaited.The shifting will be done soon.We will do everything that is possible to protect the career of the Gian Sagar students."

Meanwhile, resignations galore have been taking place at Gyan Sagar. Medical Superintendent M S Gill put in his papers recently. A month ago, Dean, Dr A S Sekhon, called it a day. In two months, around 20 faculty members, including professors and doctors, have left the institution with many among them joining other institutions. Dr Jasbir Kaur resigned in April , with Principal Dr Anil Vij following in May. Dr Jai Kishan, Dr Achar Singh, Dr Kapila, Dr AS Grover, Dr Bhatia, and many others have left as well. This leaves students bereft of moral support in this hour of change and crisis, reports TOI.