New lease of life to Gian Sagar Medical College

Faridkot: A year after the revocation of the essentiality certificate of Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital, Banur, by the Punjab Government, on grounds of the institutional trust failing to run it, the Department of Medical Education and Research (DMER)has done a turnaround and issued a provisional essentiality certificate for 100 BDS seats for next year to the Gian Sagar Education Charitable Trust.

An essentiality certificate is the basic compulsory essential for the running of the medical/dental college. A new management trust takeover of Gian Sagar Medical College happened in May, this year. 1,500 students, last year, were given college transfers due to college closure in the face of a financial bankruptcy of sorts.

Following the state governmen health authorities taking a lenient view of the prevailing situation, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, has also been found giving in to the new trust management proposal for granting provisional affiliation consent for starting of an MBBS course with 100 seats for 2019-20.

However, this provisional affiliation grant consent becomes real only with the Union ministry of health and family welfare conceding to it. The DMER, on the other hand, has issued a provisional essentiality certificate subject to the college providing a detailed verification and due proof of the trust being financially sustainable to run medical and dental colleges, said a senior official from BFUHS to the HT.

Vice-Chancellor, BFUHS, Dr Raj Bahadur, has confirmed the issuance of provisional affiliation certification to Gian Sagar colleges reported the Tribune.

Additional Chief Secretary, DMRE, Satish Chandra said, “For now, we have issued only a provisional essentiality certificate. If everything is clear and the trust is found to have the financial resources, the final certificate will be issued in a month.”

The letter granting provisional essentiality certificate reads, “There is a shortage of dental institutions in the state. There are only two government and 11 private dental colleges. The state government accordingly grants provisional essentiality certificate to Gian Sagar Education Charitable Trust for starting Gian Sagar Dental College, Banur in Patiala district with 100 BDS seats.”

“This essentiality certificate is subject to detailed verification and due diligence regarding the financial viability of the trust to run the medical college. The verification and due diligence would be completed within one month. The Dental Council of India is requested to process the application of the trust to restart the Gian Sagar Dental College from the academic session 2019-20,” it concludes.

A senior functionary of BFUHS appreciating the step in the direction of the revival of the college said it would lead to an increase in medical and dental seats, in the face of the 250 having got lost with Gian Sagar and Chintpurni having closed down.

However, the same official advising caution said, “The state government should be extra vigilant in ensuring that the financial condition of the trust is in shape. In case the trust again fails to run the institution, students and parents will suffer.”