Govt Medical Colleges need to Churn out qualified doctors, not Munna Bhai MBBS: Minister

Bhubaneswar: BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan asked Odisha Government to ensure quality education at Baripada Medical College instead of blaming the Centre for delay in approval to start MBBS admission from this academic session.

"The state Government should ensure quality medical education for churning out qualified doctors and not Munna Bhai MBBS," Pradhan told reporters,

Both the Biju Janata Dal and BJP are claiming credit after the Supreme Court mandated oversight committee gave nod for start of MBBS admission in the medical college from this year.

The Petroleum Minister said that the state Government must take concrete steps for putting in place proper infrastructure and faculty to ensure that Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College, Baripada functions smoothly.

The BJP leader said if Odisha Government extracts pleasure and happiness by playing politics on the issue and criticising him, it is welcome, but it must meet all criteria and keep documents ready as medical colleges cannot open through short cuts.

Pradhans remarks came a day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made an on-the-spot visit to Baripada medical college hospital yesterday and expressed satisfaction over the construction work there.

"I am satisfied over the construction work of the medical college hospital. I will review progress of the work in every two weeks," Patnaik told reporters after witnessing the construction work for the new institute.

Hitting back at Pradhan, Odishas Health Minister Pratap Jena alleged that the Union Minister was "jealous" after the state government through sincere effort obtained the approval to start admission for MBBS course from this academic session from the Supreme Court mandated oversight committee.

The long awaited medical college and hospital at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district is significant for the ruling BJD as BJP has been making in-roads in the tribal dominated area. BJP also won most of the zilla parishad seats in the district in recent panchayat elections.

The process of admission of students for 100 MBBS undergraduate seats for the 2017-18 academic session can now be taken up as the Supreme Court mandated committed has given its nod, Health Minister Pratap Jena said.

The oversight committees green signal came a week after the state government sought its intervention following failure to get Letter of Permission (LoP) from the Medical Council of India (MCI) to start the Medical College and Hospital in 2017-18 academic session.