UG students in State GMCs fail to attend classes

By Vikas Vaidya

For many years there was a general impression that only 11th and 12th standard students would bunk their regular classes in their schools or junior colleges and devoutly attend highly paid tuition classes. But that even students pursuing medical education too following the same path, has come as a great revelation mixed with surprise and shock. Those studying in Government medical colleges across the State are learnt to be skipping their regular classes in colleges and take lessons in medicine in private tuition classes, to the extent that they even bunk the clinical tutorials in the medical colleges because they find no utility of classes in their colleges. Deans of some of the GMCs, Professors and even some students confirmed this shocking revelation.
The medical fraternity says, there is a difference between poor attendance in Class XI, XII and in MBBS. The reason behind it is medical education has some different components that have direct connection with human life.
MBBS is a 4 year course during which they attend theory as well as practical classes. The timetable in all GMCs is nearly same. The classes start at 8 am with a theory period of one hour. The clinics means practicals are conducted between 9 am to 12 noon. During clinics they suppose to learn actual handling of patients and teachers are expected to teach them. After the clinics the theory classes are held from 1 to 5. The students mostly follow the time-table sincerely in their first year. But from second year they start avoiding attending classes. Some of them bunk even Clinics too which is the most important component. To add to their woes, even if they attend clinics, most of the time, their teachers ask either Junior Resident -1 or 2 to teach the UG students during their clinics. This means the clinics too are held in a non-serious manner. Why this is happening? A Professor on condition of anonymity told ‘The Hitavada’, “Students attend private coaching classes so they take their classes at colleges for granted. The students from all over Vidarbha come to Nagpur.”
Coaching Class owners say they conduct classes on Saturday and Sunday only. They claim that they advise students to attend classes at their respective colleges seriously so that the topics could be revised. Students pay around Rs 1.5 lakh per year to private coaching class and they get so much engrossed there that they remain in touch with them only. Private coaching class owners have created the residential facility for these students.
A parent on condition of anonymity said, “Blame can not be put only on students and coaching institutes. The Dean, teachers and the authorities who are aware of the fact are equally responsible for the whole fiasco. There is no check of Deans on students’ absence, faculties too are not interested in teaching, most of them do not go to Operation Theatre even. They put the responsibility either on Residents or interns. This has become rampant. It will take medical education nowhere.”
Dr Dileep Mhaisekar, Vice-Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences said that he had asked all the Deans to start Biometric Attendance system. It all depends on them to keep check, MUHS won’t be able to do more than that, pointed out Dr Mhaisekar. No GMC in State has started the biometric attendance system yet.

PULSE exposed MBBS students

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) organises cultural festival ‘PULSE’ at Delhi. Every year students of medical colleges from all over the country attend it. This attendance does not have official endorsement by respective medical colleges. These students not only go to Delhi but they visit various places around Delhi and come back. This practice is going on since long but nobody has taken any objection. This year, a faculty from Mumbai has brought this to the notice of MUHS and everybody came out of deep slumber.

Private medical colleges have strict vigil

Bunking of classes in MBBS does not take place in private medical colleges. These colleges keep strict vigil and follow the biometric attendance system for faculty and students both. They also impose heavy fines on the people whose attendance is below 75%. Unlike deans in GMCs, the deans in private ones don’t support the students or faculties remaining absent.

Students are going into depression

Bunking of classes in MBBS, affecting students at large, especially when they get admitted in Post Graduation. The virtual class experience or attending lectures without clinical exposure in MBBS brings their weakness to the fore during their PG. They fail to cope with several things like long working hours, communication with many patients and relatives, shortage of drugs, political interference, non-interested PG guides, lack of basic amenities in living conditions. Over-protective attitude of parents adds to the woes of these students. All these aspects result in increasing their feuds with patients, quarrel with relatives of the patients. Such students try to escape from work -regular absenteeism. These students even though they fare well in MBBS, they find PG very tough. There are examples in Nagpur where such students have gone into depression and left PG halfway.

Suggestive solutions

- Introspection by medical teachers will definitely improve the condition
- Biometric attendance of students along with teachers should be mandatory
- Vigilance committee should be set up in all medical colleges