Denying Renewal To Medical colleges: Bihar Govt to take MCI, Health Ministry to Supreme Court

Patna: The state health department is planning to move the supreme court against the apex education regulator (MCI), and the Health minsitry for disallowing admission to 3 government medical colleges with 250 medical seats.

Admission permission on 100 seats each in two and another 50 in yet another medical college have been denied. Following colleges and seat strengths have been disallowed admissions: Government Medical College, Bettiah-100 seats; Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences, Pawapuri-100 seats, and Anugrah Narayan Medical College, Gaya -50 seats. Another medical college Mata Gujri Memorial Medical College, Kishanganj has also lost 60 seats, which is a private medical college

"The MCI conducted inspections at the colleges in February. Manpower and some infrastructure deficiencies have also been pointed out, but mostly it is about manpower," Sanjay Kumar, the principal secretary of the health departmen told Telegraph. "Since then, the government has met the deficiencies but for some reason, the MCI didn't quite agree. We are moving the Supreme Court now, requesting it to give the medical colleges some time. We will also request the court to ask MCI to conduct inspection again."

Sources have pointed at 35-50 percent faculty shortage at the colleges that are facing a crunch in the diagnostic facilities library and laboratories.

"There is around 36 percent faculty shortage at Government Medical College, Bettiah. Teachers from microbiology and medicine departments have either resigned or taken voluntary retirement at the start of the MBBS course but their posts have remained vacant. Admission started in 2013 while the college had received approval in 2008. How long can the MCI overlook these things?" questioned a source.

Dr J.K. Das, Principal, Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences said: "There is around 33 percent faculty shortage in the medical college. On the day of the MCI's inspection, around 10-15 percent of faculty members were unfortunately absent for different reasons. We had pleaded with the MCI but they didn't listen."

Pawapuri college, a source, claimed had 50 to 70 percent faculty shortage. "There is lack of assistant and associate professor, senior residents, and paramedics also," he added to the Telegraph.

A health department source, on the other hand, stated that doctors had given a proposal asking for special incentive packages for medicos working in remote medical colleges to stop the migration of doctors.

"The department agreed in-principle to provide Rs 80,000 incentive to the professor and Rs 50,000 and Rs 40,000 respectively to associate and assistant professor besides their salaries but the plan was dropped later. Doctors don't want to work in medical colleges in interiors of the state," the source said.

Former IMA-Bihar president. Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, told the daily: "The MCI has not taken care of the fact that geographical equilibrium of the production of doctors is highly limited to south and north India, and eastern India is ignored. There will be a complete paucity of doctors in the whole of eastern India."