MCI finds discrepancies in medical colleges, hospitals

Vikram Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 11

A team of the Medical Council of India (MCI) that visited Jammu and Kashmir to take a stock of medical paraphernalia of the state has found certain discrepancies still pending in the medical college departments to be taken for corrective measures.

The team that took a survey of the four associated hospitals and the tertiary hospitals of the Jammu region found that a number of machineries purchased by the departments have still not been installed in the respective departments, which is creating inconvenience to the patients. Besides, the MCI that took the meeting of the medical board also found that despite a strict stipulation passed by the council to install biometric machines in the department for the attendance of the doctors and staff, too, has not been installed, which was a serious violation of the guidelines of the MCI strictures.

While speaking to The Tribune, Medical Superintendent of Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu, Romesh Kumar Gupta ignored the question raised as to why there are discrepancies in the department saying that it was none of his concern and the GMC Principal was the authorised person to speak on it. However, GMC Principal Dr Zahid Gillani’s could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Meanwhile, the nodal officer of the MCI, Dr Vishal Tandon, associate professor, Pharmacology, refused any discrepancy occurring in the establishments, saying that certain projects which had been taken up in a phased manner were going on and would be completed soon.

“There is no work pending on the installation of any important machinery in any department. This time, the MCI was fully satisfied with the progress shown by the medical board,” said Dr Vishal Tandon. He, however, added that there were some infrastructure deficiencies in the pipeline which were being taken up in a phased manner and they would also be sorted out soon.

“The MCI’s focal interest is always on the infrastructure and the faculty of the medical departments such as hostels, libraries and its allied units. The work on these units is in progress and in its third phase. It will be completed soon,” Dr Tandon added.

On biometric attendance machines not being installed in the faculties and the gazette officers’ chambers, Dr Tandon said again it’s the prerogative of the MCI only to take up the exercise for which it had sublet its work to a Jammu-based company.

“It is not for Jammu and Kashmir only, but for whole of India that the MCI has taken up the exercise of installing the biometric handlers in the department. This falls under the digitalisation programme of the MCI. Since this is Aadhaar-based programming, 90 people of 300 faculty and gazette staffofficials have submitted their forms in the past week for the installation and we are hopeful that the rest will also be following the league soon,” Dr Tandon added.