GMCH-32 under scanner over anomaly in NRI admissions

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 30

The Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, and the Medical Council of India (MCI) are heading to yet another face off over the admission of six NRI students. 

While the GMCH authorities have refused to strike off the NRI students from the college, Dr Raj Bahadur, Chairman of the monitoring committee constituted by the MCI, said the students were given backdoor admissions — without taking any eligibility entrance test.      

He said, if needed, the MCI would challenge the admission in the court. “It is mandatory for a medical institute to conduct an entrance examination for the admission of students. But no such protocol was followed before giving admission to these NRI students.”

“While the Indian students had to face a tough competition to ensure a berth in the medical college, the NRI students were given admission on the first come first served basis,” said Dr Raj Bahadur.

He said the MCI had ordered the GMCH to discharge the NRI students following a thorough deliberation. The MCI had also asked the medical 

college to file a compliance report on the admission of the NRI candidates.

Raj Bahadur said the NRI students were given admissions on the bases of percentage earlier also. “Following the Apex Court’s guideline, the GMCH- 32 should have made changes in the notification,” he said. 

The GMCH-32 had claimed that the students were admitted after MCI’s nod in this regard. Raj Bahadur, former Director of the GMCH-32 and presently serving as the Vice-Chancellor of the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), refuted their claim as baseless. 

Bahadur said, “No order was issued by the MCI stating that NRIs should be given admission without any entrance test.” 

When asked why it took so long for the committee to take action, Dr Raj Bahadur said the MCI was the monitoring body of 400 medical colleges in which 65,000 students were studying. 

“Such issues are sensitive and require a lot of deliberation. A seven-member team, headed by the MCI president, discusses such anomalies and decisions are taken after scrutinising all aspects,” said Dr Bahadur. 

However, Dr AK Janmeja, Director-cum-Principal of the GMCH- 32 said the students were admitted according to the provision and permissible rules. He said there was some confusion over the issue and a detailed reply in this context had been filed today by the hospital to the MCI.

It is not the first time that the GMCH- 32 has come under scanner of the MCI. Earlier in July, the MCI had raised objection over 23 postgraduate (MD/MS) seats across nine departments. The MCI had conducted an inspection and found irregularities in some departments.