No college building, hostel: MBBS students at Delhi’s RML hospital write to health minister
Many students, who come from Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad, said travelling long distances to campus doesn’t leave time for them to concentrate on their studies. “Many are living on rent in areas such as Rajinder Nagar and spending Rs 20,000 for a 1BHK set,” said a student.
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RML’s psychiatry dept where the college building was supposed to come up. (Express Photo)MBBS students from the Centre-run Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS) and Dr RML Hospital have written to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on the lack of facilities and space crunch as the college building and a hostel facility they were promised four years ago is yet to materialise.
In the letter written on February 23, students said when the medical college was established in 2019, they were assured that the college building would be ready by 2022 but construction has not commenced yet. They added that due to shortage of hostel rooms, most students are living in rented accommodations.
Students stated that a three-acre plot of land, where the psychiatry department is currently functioning, was where the college was supposed to come up. Said a student, “In 2019, when the name of the medical college was changed from PGIMER to ABVIMS and an undergraduate course was started, the then union health minister Harsh Vardhan had promised that a college will be built along with a hostel but nothing has been done so far.”
The student added: “We have three lecture rooms — two in the main building and one across the road in the psychiatry department. Whenever there is a space constraint, our lectures are conducted in the auditorium in the main building. Even the labs have space issues.”
Currently, there are around 400 MBBS students across the four years. Out of the 290 boys, only 80 have been given free hostel accommodation in a nearby dharamshala on Mandir Marg, 1.3 km away from campus. Out of the 110 girl students, 40 have got hostel accommodation on campus.
Many students, who come from Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad, said travelling long distances to campus doesn’t leave time for them to concentrate on their studies. “Many are living on rent in areas such as Rajinder Nagar and spending Rs 20,000 for a 1BHK set,” said a student.
When asked about the construction of the medical college, Dr Nandini Duggal, Director and Medical Superintendent of RML Hospital, told The Indian Express that the building is planned at the plot and procedure for various approvals are in process. The design is in the final stage and once approved, it will be presented before the Ministry for financial approval. “The administration is well aware of the issues faced by medical students and all necessary measures are being taken to expedite the relevant projects,” she said.
On starting the hostel facility, she said structural work is 100% complete, however, internal finishing work and process of approvals from different agencies are awaited. “The hospital administration is sensitive towards the difficulty faced by students and residents and is putting its utmost effort to ensure early completion,” she added.
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