Health Ministry misses SC medical college deadline

Of the four colleges found deficient by the MCI, the Government accepted the MCI’s recommendation in only one of them, Subharthi Medical College, Meerut, and passed an order on August 17 rejecting the institution’s application for renewal of permission.

In the case of the other three colleges, the Centre failed to comply with the Supreme Court’s categorical direction on August 1: ‘‘The Central Government shall pass orders by 17th August, 2005.’’

The Centre, instead, pulled in three different directions in three similarly placed colleges.

8226; In the case of S Nijalingappa Medical College, Bagalkot Karnataka, the Government initially rejected its application for renewal of permission on

August 16, expressly forbidding it to admit any student in the MBBS course for the current academic year.

But two days after the August 17 deadline, the Government re-opened the case and asked the MCI to consider the possibility of granting permission to the college for a reduced intake of students from 100 to 50.

8226; On Swami Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences, Valia Gujarat, the Health Ministry wrote to the MCI on August 17, requesting it to review its earlier recommendation and see if the college could be granted permission for a reduced intake of students.

The only deference the Government made in that letter to the deadline that was lapsing on the same day was to request the MCI to treat the matter as ‘‘Most Immediate.’’

8226; In the case of MVJ Medical College, Bangalore, the Government seems to have performed a series of somersaults on August 17. It seriously considered the possibility of bypassing the MCI’s adverse recommendation by conducting a fresh inspection on its own.

The Indian Express has a copy of file notings made by senior Health Ministry bureaucrats to justify such a departure from the deadline set by the Supreme Court.

‘‘I feel the spirit of the honourable Court’s orders wants us to exercise our powers for sanction in such cases where there are no deficiencies,’’ noted Health Secretary P.K. Hota on August 17, adding that a fresh inspection be made by the Government within five days.

But by the end of the same day, realising the risk of incurring the wrath of the Supreme Court, the Health Ministry issued a letter to MVJ College saying: ‘‘Due to paucity of time, it is not possible for the Government to pass an appropriate order without verification of facilities for admission of third batch as requested by the college by 17th of August, 2005.’’

Thus, despite the Supreme Court order, the Government made it clear it was not passing any order by the prescribed deadline and left it open to the college to act any which way.