IGGMCH gets renewal for additional 50 seats?

By Vikas Vaidya

Medical Council of India (MCI) has recommended to grant renewal to increased 50 seats to Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH), to Central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said reliable sources. Respective State Governments had been asked to submit undertaking by the hands of Secretaries. Maharashtra Government again sent Director of Medical Education and Research Dr Pravin Shingare instead of Secretary bringing medical colleges into trouble. Despite this, IGGMCH got the renewal, said sources.
The meeting of Executive Committee of MCI was convened for two days in Delhi. MCI had asked States to send Secretaries with Undertakings. Like last year when the then Medical Education Secretary Manisha Mhaiskar could not turn up due to ill-health, this time Medha Gadgil could not go. Dr Shingare did carry undertaking of fulfilling compliance but MCI Executive Committee refused to accept the undertaking as it was to be handed over strictly by Secretary. The approval which do not need undertaking have been granted while those need the Secretary with the document was kept pending. Surprisingly the approval for the additional seats of 50 of IGGMCH got permission, said highly placed sources.
IGGMCH has been fighting for getting renewal, first it was for the 40 increased seats to make it a college with 100 seats, now for the 50 increased seats to make it 150 from 100. It got status of 150 college when Central Government had come out with the plan to increase 50 seats of the medical college which is 10 years old and has 100 seats or 150 seats. Yavatmal, Akola and IGGMCH from Vidarbha got benefited.
New Government in Maharashtra has given a momentum to the seven medical colleges in State announced by the previous government. Out of seven new medical colleges proposed by previous NCP-Congress Government, only Chandrapur and Gondia have shown remarkable progress. Both colleges have acquired land of 25 acre and also got hospital of 300 beds. The team of Medical Council of India has inspected the Gondia college while Chandrapur is awaiting the same. Now the inspection will not be made at Chandrapur as the last date of submission was May 15 which is over.
Elaborating the progress of seven medical colleges viz Satara, Nandurbar, Alibag, Mumbai, Baramati, Chandrapur and Gondia, a senior official said, “Only Chandrapur and Gondia have 25 acre of land, building to run college and required 300-bedded hospital. The colleges at other places are in deep trouble. At Satara and Alibaug we did not get the land, the propsed building at Mumbai was gutted so the colleges there have lot many problems. Nandurbar has just completed the land acquisition process. Baramati is not a district place so as per the requirement of MCI it does not fulfill the condition of existence of district hospital.”
It is learnt that IGGMCH had failed to do compliance on the part of teaching posts. The college in its compliance pointed that the excess posts should be transfered to the faculty where there are less number of posts. This would balance the teaching staff. There was second deficiency regarding unavailability of funds for Sr Residency pointed out by MCI at IGGMCH. The funds for about 34 Residents
have been sanctioned.

Will Chandrapur get justice?

In last inspection by MCI, there was slight mistake committed by Chandrapur Medical College wherein they put two-three gynac patients in the ward of surgery. The Gynaecology ward was shown with the same numbers. Had the number was shown more the total number of beds could have gone to 300 which was the requirement. But under Establishment of Medical council act the application of Chandrapur was rejected. Chandrapur had requested to have another inspection but it was not done unlike in case of Gondia where MCI did inspection.