MCI axe falls on North corpn, Jamia Hamdard medical colleges

Sources in the MCI confirmed that the decision was communicated to the Central government on April 28 and a public notice informing the two hospitals was issued on May 1.

Unless the Central government overturns the MCI decision, officials said it was unlikely that the medical colleges would be allowed to continue admissions this year.

According to MCI sources, the North corporation, which admitted 50 MBBS students in the last academic year, still did not have lecture theatres and classes were being conducted in the lecture halls of the nursing college.

During inspection, the MCI team found that the medical college had failed to recruit permanent faculty and only temporary contractual teachers had been appointed, many of them retired employees.

Porta cabins had been built on the Hindurao hospital premises to accommodate them.

According to the inspection report, a copy of which is with Newsline, the mandatory approval of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for radiation safety in radiology equipment at the associated Hindurao hospital had expired as also the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Test (PNDT) approval for prevention of sex-determination of foetuses in pregnancies, no logbook was being maintained for X-rays and ultrasounds and the licence of the blood bank, too, had expired in December 2012, among others.

Also, the college had not come up in the campus proposed to the MCI originally — near the TB hospital at Kingsway Camp.

When contacted, North corporation spokesperson Yogendra Mann said, “We are still to receive a formal letter from MCI, but we have been informed of the shortcomings. Work was delayed because of the successive imposition of the Model Code of Conduct. We are trying to take corrective measures now.”

He added that the degree of the existing students from last year would stand recognised.

At Jamia Hamdard Universit’s medical college, which admitted 100 MBBS students in its second batch last year, sources said the MCI found inadequacies in hospital beds, lack of hostel facilities and specimens.”

“We have corrected the faults and sent a compliance report to the Central government. Ours was the only centre where the council cancelled the renewal based on trivial deficiencies. We hope the government will take note of our efforts and the matter will be sorted within the next two-three days so that our academic schedule is not affected,” Jamia Hamdard University Vice-Chancellor G N Qazi said.