4-member MCI team visits Govt Medical College

Gagan K Teja 

Patiala, April 5

A four-member team of the Medical Council of India (MCI), led by Dr Pradeep Garg, reached the Government Medical College here today to prepare a compliance report pertaining to the shortcomings highlighted by it during its previous visit to the college.

The MCI team had earlier inspected the college to ascertain whether it should be allowed to retain 50 MBBS seats that were increased two years ago from 150 then. 

In 2015, the MCI had recommended cancelling 50 MBBS seats at the college due to various shortcomings found there in November 2014. The shortcoming were 37 per cent shortage of senior and junior doctors; the emergency has only 20 beds instead of 30 and does not have adequate ventilator facility; the college has four lecture halls with seating capacity of 150 each whereas there should be five halls with a capacity of 250 each and one with a capacity of 500; the central library has a seating capacity of only about 100 whereas it should be around 200; and the college does not having reading rooms for residents and PG students.  The college authorities had then submitted a compliance report following which the MCI team reached had revisited the campus and later, allowed the college to retain the seats. 

Similarly, the team had visited the college again to see whether all anomalies had been removed.

The MCI team today held a surprise visit to the college and took attendance of the staff. The team members also reviewed the records of various departments and visited various wards to see the facilities being provided to interns and patients. 

The team will submit its report shortly.