30 doctors leave KCGMC as academic session yet to begin

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, February 15

More than 30 doctors have left Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) here over lack of infrastructure and non-commencement of the academic session.

A faculty member, who left the college, said many doctors, including professors, associate professors, assistant professors, senior residents, junior residents and medical officers had left the job as they would not get any experience certificate for the stipulated period till the classes were started.

Another faculty member said the infrastructure in the college was not of the level of a medical college. So, he left the job and joined a private institute, he added.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda laid the foundation stone of the KCGMC on November 18, 2012. The 500-bed medical college was to have 100 MBBS seats and Rs 648 crore was sanctioned for the project. The General Hospital of the district had been converted into the KCGMC on December 1, 2012.

Sources said several departments in the college also faced shortage of doctors. The staff members were appointed in the name of medical college, but it was yet to get approval from the Medical Council of India (MCI) to start academic session.

“Only four to five regular faculty members have left the job,” said Dr Surinder Kashyap, Director, KCGMC. He said some of the contractual faculty members had also left, but they were recruiting more doctors to provide better health facilities.

Health Minister Anil Vij said he would review the status of the KCGMC. Vij made it clear that it was still a hospital and not a medical college. It would become a medical college after getting approval from the MCI.

It is still a hospital, says Vij

Health Minister Anil Vij said he would review the status of the KCGMC. Vij made it clear that it was still a hospital and not a medical college. It would become a medical college after getting approval from the MCI.