Don’t let state establish ESI college: MCI to Centre

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 29

The first batch of MBBS students at ESI Medical College, Ner Chowk, near Mandi will not be admitted for 2015-16. Reason: Delay in a decision to take over the college has halted staff recruitment and other essential activities. Thus, the Executive Committee of the Medical Council of India (MCI) that inspected the college found shortcomings and has decided to recommend the Central Government to not issue a Letter of Permission to establish a new medical college in Mandi.

Now, the government has finally decided to acquire the college and take up the matter with the Union Labour and Employment Ministry and run it as a self-financing venture. The ministry had spent about Rs 650 crore on the infrastructure of the college and the 500-bed hospital.

Infrastructure was ready last year, but the MCI did not recommend its start and this year again, the MBBS aspirants from the state would be deprived of seeking admission to the college.

“The Cabinet has taken a decision to take over the college and run it on self-financing basis with 15 per cent seats for NRI students and the proposal would be taken up with the Union Government”, Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh said.

The MCI team which made assessment of physical and other teaching facilities at the college, with an annual intake capacity of 100 MBBS students under Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla u/s 10A, found glaring deficiencies in respect of staff and other infrastructure.

In its report, the team pointed out deficiency of faculty 92.60 per cent, shortage of residents 100 per cent, arrangement of wards was clumsy, pantry and demonstration room was not available in any ward, radiological and laboratory investigation was inadequate, histopathology and cytopathology workload nil and operations theaters for general surgery were not as per norms. It also pointed out several other shortcomings and as a consequence, the Executive Committee of the MCI recommend to the Central Government not to issue Letter of Permission.

The ESI hospital attached to the college was inaugurated by former Union Labour and Employment Minister Oscar Fernades in March 2014 but later the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) board, after its 163rd meeting, informed the deans and medical superintendents of all 13 ESCI medical colleges in the country (including the upcoming Mandi college) that the corporation had decided to hand over the colleges to respective state governments.

The college, spread over 31 acres at Ner Chowk, was to become operational in 2011 and an effort was made to start MBBS courses from 2014-15.

Sources said an investment of Rs 150 crore was still required to complete the building, which would now be made by the state government, which had already invested Rs 150 crore in the form of free land for the project.