Govt to set up 2 more medical varsities

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 28

It seems two medical universities are not enough for the state as two more are in the pipeline.

According to sources, the state government has started the process to turn the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Das Medical College, Amritsar, into a medical university.

Sources said that Gyan Sagar Medical College, Banur, has also submitted an application to turn the medical college into a university.

Punjab already has two medical universities — one is Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, with which all the medical, dental and nursing colleges of the state are affiliated.

The other is Adesh University in Bathinda, a private medical university.

According to sources in the government, the government has also constituted an inspection committee which includes Principal Secretary, Higher Education; Secretary, Medical Education, Hussan Lal; Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, Dr Raj Bahadur; head, Oral Health Sciences, PGIMER, Chandigarh, Dr Krishan Gaba; and Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

Sources also revealed that the inspection committee had conducted an inspection at Sri Guru Ram Das Medical College, Amritsar, last week.

The college gave a presentation to the team about the achievements and infrastructure of the college.

However, when the college authorities were asked to show quality research work in medical or dental sciences that they had carried out, they didn’t have much to show.

The government has made the move despite facing criticism for opening 11 private universities in just five years. The government gave its nod to open private universities despite these institutions having clear deficiencies.

A private university in the state can be opened only after enacting an Act in the state Assembly.

Earlier this month, a big question was raised about the quality of education that private dental and medical colleges were providing when 50 per cent of the dental students had failed in the annual examination.