Maheshwara Medical College Faculty assured Pay; MBBS Classes likely to Resume

Hyderabad: 300 MBBS students, who were caught in a crossfire between the faculty and the administration of Maheshwara Medical College, are likely to get relief in the coming days, with their MBBS classes commencing

The faculty, in protest against the non-payment of dues by the medical college management, had initiated a strike, wherein no classes had been taken for the past 47 days.

According to media reports, officials of the state health department visited the Medical College on February 25 and asked the management to start classes for the two batches of 300 MBBS students immediately. The faculty has also been assured payment of their salaries that are pending for six to nine months.

The medical college has been given until March 8 to make all the pending payments to the protesting faculty, and classes were to resume from today, as per confirmed media accounts.

Earlier, deeming the issue as serious, the Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), to which the medical college is affiliated to; had set up a committee to initiate an inquiry. The KNRUHS authorities had urged all the students concerned, parents association, principal and faculty of the medical college to represent their grievances to the committee. Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) had also extended their support to the aggrieved MBBS students.

Read Also: No classes since 45 days: Protesting MBBS students Shut Hospital; KNRUHS sets up inquiry committee

On February 25, the two-member committee headed by Director of Medical Education (DME), Dr K Ramesh Reddy and Registrar, KNRUHS, D Praveen Kumar spoke to students, parents, faculty, staff and senior management of the medical college.

Director of Medical Education Dr Reddy stated that the main issue was classes not being held and directed the management that they must start from the following day.

"The faculty payment will be cleared before this month end. Their dues of two months have been cleared and others will also be done immediately. The college management has been told to carry out the classes without further delay and there will also be extra classes to make up for the lost time," Dr Reddy confirmed to Deccan Chronicle.

Speaking to the New Minute, Dr P S Vijayender, Chairman of TJUDA; confirmed that the board has said that it will pay the teaching faculty.

He further added that the staff members have taken a decision to begin working once the administration gives them a minimum of at least three months salaries.

Telangana Today reports that during interaction with parents, senior management of the medical college on February 25 had said that salaries of staff was released for one month and in another two days, salaries for two more months will be credited. According to students, classes are expected to start in a day or two, the hospital management assured.

A detailed report of the actual state of affairs in the college will be prepared by the health department and sent to the University for consideration.

Read Also: Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College: 31 Final year MBBS students fail Medicine Practical, probe ordered

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that with classes being suspended and mid-term examination less than a month away, these aggrieved MBBS students and their parents were running pillar to post requesting concerned authorities to resume back the classes and save the year of their studies. They had met the Director of the medical institute several times, officially and unofficially seeking a resolution.

• In the first week of February, the parents went and registered a complaint with KNRUHS. Though the KNRUHS Registrar issued a notice on February 8, the medical college management did nothing to resolve the issue. The parents were allegedly told that the salaries of the faculty would be reimbursed soon and classes will also begin. "We were also shown a DD of a few crores but turns out it was fake," a parent informed.


• On February 14, after the parents met the Director, he had issued a letter stating that classes would resume from February 18. However, no action was taken and infuriated by the same, parents and students had staged a dharna at the medical college premises and later complained to the District Collector.


• On February 19, the MBBS students, parents and medical teachers met the officials of KNRUHS demanding immediate intervention and were assured action on the issue.


• On February 23, agitated over classes not resuming, the aggrieved MBBS students and parents held a protest at the Medical College and Hospital's campus and forcibly closed down the hospital for about 5 hours.

Read Also: Hyderabad Medical College Faculty on Strike over Pending Salaries: No Classes for 300 MBBS students

The Maheshwara Medical College and Hospital was established four years ago but last year the medical college did not get approval for admitting fresh batch of students.