Staring at Uncertain Future, Subharti Medical College MBBS students hold protest

Dehradun: With no information as to when their classes will resume and when their examinations will be held, the MBBS students of shut Subharti Medical College are staring at an uncertain future. Asking the authorities and demanding a resolution regarding the same issues, the MBBS students recently staged a massive protest outside the office of Medical Education Directorate.

The MBBS students wanted the authorities to clear position about their academic session and time of examination. They are demanding the authorities to resume classes and give them a legit update as to when their examinations will be held.

The medical college was recently shut down after various discrepancies were noticed in the institute.

Medical Dialogues had reported that on December 6, the Supreme Court had ordered the Uttarakhand government to take over the land, buildings and assets of the self-financing Subharti Medical College within 24 hours and run it as a government entity thereafter.

This decision was taken in view of the petitions filed by a group of 74 NEET qualified students, who were admitted to the first year MBBS course in the college. The students moved the apex court saying that as there was a lack of infrastructure and faculty, they should be transferred to any other medical college in the state.

At that hearing, the Deputy Advocate General (DAG) of Uttarakhand J K Sethi told the bench that the state would be willing to take over the college along with its entire infrastructure and assets, both movable and immovable so that it could meet the norms of Medical Council of India (MCI) and affiliated with Dehradun's Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical University.

The SC had made it clear that if the university affiliates the institution and MCI grants requisite permission, the students can sit for the first-year examination of MBBS course to be conducted by the university.

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In the next hearing, the state had revealed the irregularities that persisted at the Subharti University. The DAG Uttarakhand stated that the institution was making a "mockery of education" and all the students were being taken for a ride.

It was submitted that apart from a medical college, Subharti authorities were running a paramedical college, a nursing college, a pharmacy college, polytechnic and computer science colleges, a journalism institute, a management college, science and arts college, and even a yogic science college. All these colleges were being run on 13.59 acres whereas a 20-acre campus is mandatory to run just one medical college.

Further on 13th December, the staff of the shut medical college including over 400 doctors, medical teachers and paramedical staff protested inside the university campus demanding pending stipends and clarity regarding the status of their employment. The agitating employees were also demanding that the medical college should be returned to its old management with the Subharti University.

Read Also: Medical College Shutdown: More Irregularities revealed at Subharti University

After the SC order on its shutdown and acquisition by government, the Subharti management had announced winter vacations in the college till January 15.

At that time, the government was planning to amalgamate Subharti University with the HNB Garhwal University. "There is a proposal to merge Subharti with HNB Garhwal University to ensure that the students get the proper education. However, a final decision will be taken only after the SC order," the DAG had informed.

Now, with no update on the amalgamation, the MBBS are confused as to which university will conduct the examinations.

Speaking to the Pioneer, the MBBS students said that as per the schedule, their examinations are slated in February. "But a situation of uncertainty is now prevailing in the institution and they are not aware as to which of the two universities- Ras Bihari Bose university or HNB Medical university, would conduct their examination."

According to a recent report by Jagran, the MBBS students are also concerned about the teaching hours. According to the standards of the MCI for the examination, the teaching schedules, as well as teaching hours, have to be completed. However, due to the apparent pause of classes, it has become difficult to complete the teaching hours.

The Medical Education Director Dr Ashutosh Sayana informed Pioneer that the college had been acquired on the court's order. He said that further course of action would depend on the court's order as hearing is scheduled on January 10.

Dr Sayana further said that a committee headed by Dr Navin Thapliyal is looking after the interim arrangements of college and it has been asked to ensure that the studies of the students are not affected.

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