Rajasthan: Minister hopeful to start 5 medical colleges this session

Jaipur: Medical Education Minister , Kalicharan Saraf is optimistic about centre giving approval to five new medical colleges to admit students for MBBS for academic year 2017-18. With the centre's approval will come an addition of 500 more medical seats for MBBS courses in the state. This new development will come about despite the Medical Council of India disallowing the five from taking in admissions for the current session after conducting an inspection earlier in the year and finding the five falling short on MCI norms.

The Health Minister, Saraf said, "Since it is an ambitious project of the state government, we are making efforts in this direction. We are hopeful that the session in five new medical colleges will start from July 1."

Naming the new medical colleges as those coming up in Bhilwara, Bharatpur, Churu, Pali and Dungarpur, he refrained from mentioning the new proposed medical colleges in Sikar, Barmer and Alwar. "Except for Sikar, Barmer and Alwar, we expect that five proposed medical colleges in Bhilwara, Churu, Pali, Bharatpur and Dungarpur will become operational from July 1," the minister reiterated

The MCI's Executive Committee's decision to disallow the above mentioned five colleges from taking in new admissions under the IMC Act, 1956, for the 2017-18 academic year,had been the result of the inspection report submitted to it by the inspectors after the December rounds of these colleges.

MCI's denial of permission had the Department of Medical Education pull up its socks and make the five operational as per MCI norms.

The Executive Committee meeting of the Council had tabled the deficiencies of the colleges at the meeting held on January 13.The new medical colleges if granted approval would have had the capacity to admit 100 MBBS students each for the session this year.

The Council inspection at Dungarpur had found a 100% shortfall in faculty strength and that of resident doctors. The Dean and medical superintendent appointments had also not been done. The other shortfalls in facilities were related to speech therapy, central oxygen and central suction systems, audiometry, disaster trolleys and crash carts.

Once the MCI's report speaking of deficiencies was out the DME in an effort towards compliance conducted interviews of faculty for the proposed medical colleges and has developed other necessary facilities required in medical colleges, as per the MCI norms. In April interviews for staff for clinical and non clinical branches were taken. The education department created associate professor, assistant professor, professors and senior demonstrator posts

The medical education department conducted interviews in April for recruiting faculties in non-clinical and clinical breaches. The department created posts of professors, associate professor, assistant professor and senior demonstrator posts. Having completed recruitment processes the medical education department is confident of the centre's nod to start 5 new medical colleges in the state for the academic session commencing 2017-18, reports TOI