Jharkhand: Mahatma Gandhi Medical College seeks MCI approval for 50 PG seats

Jharkhand: The Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (MGMCH) is seeking the Medical Council of India's (MCI) approval for starting fifty post graduate seats for various courses and an increase of their MBBS count from a hundred to a hundred and fifty seats.

It is an impressive turn around for a college that till sometime back was facing the threat of de recognition and the loss of fifty of its MBBS seats due to faculty shortage and infra structural deficiencies.

"We have applied for the recognition of the PG degree and allotment of 50 PG seats as infrastructure in our college as well as hospital has been revamped as per MCI guidelines," Dr AC Akhauri, Principal, MGMCH College, told HT on Wednesday.

The principal said with the first round of the MCI inspection over they were quite confident of getting a positive response from the educational body.

Speaking about infra structural developments in the college, Superintendent, Dr Vijay Shankar Das said that the new five story building on the hospital premises had reached completion and would be handed over to the hospital authorities by the builders at the end of the month.

"The building will house a critical operation theater (OT), a critical care unit (CCU), an intensive care unit (ICU) and department-wise wards, OPDs etc," said Dr Das.

Departments and OPDs of medicine, surgery, gynecology and dermatology are also to be shifted into the new building said sources.

"The new building also has ramps for senior citizens, women patients and physically challenged people. It will also have separate wings for neurology, cardiology, urology and gastroenteritis. The critical OT, CCU and ICU will be equipped with advanced technology. Number of beds will also be increased significantly," said a senior doctor.

Presently departments and OPDs are spread out in different wings of the hospital. Orthopedics, surgery, ophthalmology and ENT departments housed in one wing of the hospital, however happen to make do without any critical OT, CCU or ICU's. The second building has the obstetrics, gynecology, medicine and pediatrics departments; while OPDs are placed in a third structure, a cause of much harassment for patients.

The domain of faculty at MGMCH however, remains dissatisfactory in the eyes of the MCI, which during its inspection on 6^th and 7^th October observed that almost all teaching doctors had been promoted as associate professors and professors by the state government within a short span of time between June and September last year. However, the Medical Council found all the promotions ' unacceptable.' The council though did express satisfaction over one doctor in the department of surgery.

It is understood that in an attempt to revert de recognition and the withdrawal of fifty seats each from the state's two premier colleges, the government of Jharkhand had last year on 26^th June promoted 30 assistant professors to associate professors in the MGMCH and the Patliputra Medical College Hospital (PMCH), Dhanbad.

On 5^th September,last year, another 33 assistant professors (14 in MGMCH and 19 in PMCH) were promoted to the post of associate professors and 15 (eight in MGMCH and seven in PMCH) to the rank of professors, some even being given double promotions.

46 tutors/residents were also part of this promotion exercise as they were raised to the position of assistant professors on 5^th September, last year.