Tamil Nadu likely to loose 500 medical seats this year

CHENNAI: The Medical Council of India (MCI) has recommended withdrawal of permission for MBBS courses, against four private medical colleges in Tamil Nadu. The withdrawal has been recommended due to inadequate infrastructure, fake documents and lack of faculty. If the colleges, including two in Chennai, face action the state will lose at least 500 MBBS seats this academic year.

The MCI Vice President, Dr. CV Bhirmanandham who chaired the executive committee meeting held on April 28, said that action had been initiated against several Colleges for lack of faculty and infrastructure across the country.

"We insist on NEET to ensure students have a certain standard. How can medical colleges be spared if they don't have a standard? Action is being taken for lack of faculty and infrastructure. If medical college hospitals don't have enough patients they can't teach. We follow a no compromise formula in medical education standards at all levels. Action has been taken on several colleges across the country," he told TOI.

The Committee during the meeting recommended the following action on colleges of the state:

• Karpagam Faculty of Medical Sciences and Research to be debarred from admitting 150 MBBS students for two years for inflated out-patient attendance, bed occupancy and surgeries done

• Show cause notice to be issued to Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute, Kanchipuram district, and Chennai Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, Trichy ; Chettinad was to be asked them why recognition should not be barred for fudging records, absconding faculty and resident doctors; bed occupancy of the hospital being 42.6% and most occupants not calling for admission;

• MBBS seats at Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai to be reduced to 100 from 150 due to lack of infrastructure and faculty.

• The Committee also recommended that Chennai Medical College, not be considered the for processing applications for PG courses in 2017-18; it also recommended questioning the college on why show show cause notice not be issued to it for withdrawal of recognition of the courses run by it