MCI declines approval to Chamba medical college

Kuldeep Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 25

Though the Medical Council of India (MCI) has rejected the application of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College, Chamba, to run the first batch of 100 MBBS students from this session pointing out several deficiencies in the college, Union Health Minister JP Nadda, along with state Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, is pressuring the MCI to undertake its inspection again.

According to the MCI inspection on April 25, 2017, its executive committee observed that the medical college lacked 67 per cent faculty and 64 per cent shortage of resident doctors. The college has just 65 nurses against the mandatory requirement of 179.

Similarly, the medical college had three operation theatres, while it needed four. Lecturer theatres, central library and Central Sterile Service Department were under construction. There were no residential quarters for faculty and residents in the medical college.

The anatomy dissection hall and histology lab were under construction. Physiology and bio-chemistry labs were yet to be refurnished, observed the MCI. Even patients were checked in private clinics by practitioners, hired to run the college, and over six doctors from Tanda medical college were being transferred to Chamba to put up a good show before the MCI when it came again, revealed insiders.

After detecting the deficiencies, the executive committee rejected the approval for running the first batch of 100 MBBS students from July 2017. The application had kept pending in the MCI office for considering it for the next year, stated an MCI document.

The Union Health Minister had promised the college management that the MCI team would take a fresh inspection before July, sources revealed.

They said the Chamba medical college had hired doctors from Jammu and Kashmir, including local private practitioners, to run the college after the MCI rejected the letter. Even lecture theaters were being run from the hired building.

When medical college principal Dr Anil Ohri was contacted, he claimed they had filled 95 per cent of faculty posts in 22 different departments. “We have 330-bedded hospital of Chamba district hospital and labs are being set up. We hope to start the college this session but the state government has to take a final call,” he said.

Deficiencies that council found

• The medical college lacks 67 per cent faculty 
• The college has just 65 nurses against the mandatory requirement of 179
• The medical college has three operation theatres, while it needed four. Lecturer theatres, central library and Central Sterile Service Department are under construction
• There are no residential quarters for faculty and residents in the medical college