GMCs to follow MCI faculty appointment norms or face flak

Nagpur: The Medical Council of India (MCI), has decided to get stringent with Medical Colleges for not employing qualified teachers as faculty, and granting promotions against MCI norms, by alerting them to de-recognition of departments and denial of PG seat increase, wherever and whenever, such cases come to light during Council inspections.

Institutions where staff promotions have taken place despite the faculty not having sufficient number of publications required for the posts will have to make amends at the earliest or face de recognition.

Government Medical College sources in the state informed TOI, " The Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) can no longer protect any under qualified teachers.”

"Such teachers, who are working as professors and associate professors (APs), should be shifted to only undergraduate teaching colleges. This will also pave way for creating new posts for professors and APs," they added.

The decision to take strict measures against flouting of MCI's faculty appointment norms was taken at a Council meeting held on February 23, 2017, where certain qualifying faculty norms were fixed.

"MCI had allowed recognition to all colleges having qualified teachers even if they did not have the required infrastructure. Hence, it is high time that the colleges get required number of qualified teachers. They should now either demote or transfer the underqualified teachers at the earliest," said sources.

The teacher-student ratio in accordance with rules in a Government Medical College has to be 1:3 for professor and 1:2 for associate professor (AP), only if the AP is a unit head in all clinical subjects.

The college in order to be granted permission to train PG students in Medicine, Surgery & Obstetrics and Gynaecology has to have 60 bedded units. The other clinical departments have to be attached to 30 bed units.

Normally, a unit must have 30 beds and a minimum of three full-time faculty of whom one should be professor, one AP and one assistant professor or lecturer. The second unit has the sanction of being headed by an AP.

The number of publications and quality have also been predetermined by the Council for every cadre.

The council has also clarified that no PG seats will be granted under the national initiative of one-time grant of increasing PG seats (5,000 across country) to colleges that have already been denied PG seats for the year 2017-18 reports TOI.

On matters related to promotions of professors and associate professors, the MCI has become particular that norms laid by it are followed closely, which call for fulfillment of the required time period necessary for publications, if promotion is after the cut-off date.

Departments seeking an increase in PG seats would only be considered if information to the Council is sent on the prescribed Council format, else it shan’t be permitted or recognized.