Patiala college may lose 50 MBBS seats

Gagan K Teja

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 24

The Medical Council of India (MCI) has recommended the cancellation of 50 MBBS seats at Government Medical College and Rajindra Hospital, which were increased in the last academic session. The college had 150 MBBS seats since 1969 and the number was increased to 200 from the 2014-15 session.

As per norms, the MCI was supposed to carry out annual inspection in respect of these seats for the next five years to make sure that the college was fully equipped to produce competent doctors. The council can even refuse to increase the seats permanently, if it finds any flaws during its inspection.

A four-member MCI team inspected the college in November last year, after which it has recommended that the college should not be allowed to admit students for these seats for 2015-16 session. The team has cited various anomalies at the college. These include 37 per cent shortage of senior and junior doctors, only 20 beds in the emergency ward instead of 30, absence of adequate ventilators, only four lecture halls of 150 capacity each against a requirement of five halls with a capacity of 250 each and one with a capacity of 500, the central library has a seating capacity of only 100 against a requirement of 200 and the absence of reading rooms for residents and PG students.

The college has not started any toll-free number for controlling ragging and many departments do not have requisite demonstration rooms. There was no intercom facility at the time of inspection and the registration slips were being made manually in the OPD.