Himachal Pradesh: GMC Nahan to admit 100 MBBS students for 2016-17

Himachal Pradesh: Dr YS Parmar GMC Nahan has received an approval from MCI and health ministry to admit 100 MBBS students. The first MBBS batch will start from 2016-17 academic year. The existing two GMCs, IGMC and Tanda Medical College, will offer 100 MBBS seats each and with Nahan college, MBBS seats will reach 300 mark.

There are 3 more colleges waiting an approval from MCI. However, their chances look bleak as they do not have adequate infrastructure and faculty, noted during MCI inspection.

One of the colleges Jawaharlal Nehru GMC to be started at Chamba has reported that its infrastructure is still under development and also, faculty recruitment is underway. Dr S Radhakrishanan GMC in Hamirpur has a pending environmental clearance approval. The third medical college ESIC at Nerchowk (Mandi), which has been developed at a cost of Rs 800 crore by the Union government, has not been taken over by the state government yet.

There is a reported faculty shortage staring at the government. It is reported to be offering the vacant posts to retiring medical teachers at different state medical colleges. Teachers at IGMC, Shimla, and GMC Tanda have been offered a three-year extension, if they chose to join the new medical institutes.

However, this has made a little difference to the present situation as still no faculty is there for Chamba colleges. In order to tackle the situation, few “unwilling” teachers have been transferred from IGMC and Tanda medical college.

It is also implied in a media report that there has been an alleged financial dispute between the Labour Ministry and the state governments to build the infrastructure and run the medical college. However, the state government was not willing to incur the cost of Rs 285 crore and also 10 per cent interest on this pending amount on liabilities. The state government was seeking to wave the interest and seeking payment to be paid in 5 installments. After the Union government agreed, the state government will pay the first installment in 2017-18 after the first batch was admitted.

Health Minister Kaul Singh said to Tribune that the government would make all efforts to meet the requirements of the MCI to make the other three colleges functional at the earliest.