MCI derecognises four courses in private medical institute

Bharat Khanna

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 6

The Medical Council of India (MCI) has derecognised four courses being run at the Adesh Institute of Medical Science and Research (AIMSR) and it, for now, had left degrees of some pass-out students as ‘not-recognised’.

The Postgraduate Medical Education (PME) Committee of the MCI while considering the Council Assessor’s Report of inspection done in June this year decided to recommend ‘not to recognise’ the qualification of MS (general surgery), MD (community medicine), and MD (pathology) courses in respect of students being trained at the AIMSR.

The MCI has also denied permission to the AIMSR to start the new course of MD (microbiology). During its inspection, the MCI has found numerous deficiencies in the four courses.

The assessment report was based on the standard of examination and other teaching facilities following which the ‘recognition for qualification’ for two seats each under MS (general surgery) and MD (microbiology), four seats under MD (pathology) and three seats under MD (community medicine) was not approved by the MCI.

Besides deficiencies like recruitment and promotion of some faculty members against the norms, the PME committee found Vice-Chancellor Dr GP Singh also shown as professor of the MD (community medicine) course. Doubts over full-time faculty, decrease in OPD patients shown in 2013 to 2015, nil occupancy and only two deliveries at the RHTC, small research laboratory with inadequate equipment, paramedical staff failing to produce ID proofs, no epidemiologist, and other deficiencies were also noticed.

Earlier, the MCI has denied permission to the AIMSR to start four new postgraduate (PG) courses — MS (ENT), MD (anaesthesia), MD (radio-diagnosis) and MS (orthopaedics) after it found a number of deficiencies in the institute during an inspection conducted in September 2015 and the institute’s failure to satisfy the MCI in its compliance report submitted in December 2015.

Giving clear instructions, the MCI stated admissions done (if any) against these seats, after the first batch appeared in examination, till their recognition, would be irregular/illegal and not in accordance with the MCI regulations and thus will not be recognised. As per provisions of the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000, failure to seek timely recognition as required should invariably result in discontinuation of admission to the PG course concerned.

In case, the college authorities desire to submit compliance, the same should be received in the MCI office preferably within four weeks and, prior to next admission so that the matter of recognition can be finally decided. If no compliance is received within this period or compliance/compliance verification is found unsatisfactory, it will result in discontinuation of admission to the postgraduate course against the above mentioned seats.

In MS (general surgery), which started in 2012 at AIMSR, the MCI found that Dr Prem Kumar, professor, Unit III, has been promoted after a cut-off date. However, the column of ‘Benefit of publications’ on the faculty table is left blank implying there are no research publications against the requirement of four. Hence, his promotion is not as per regulations and he cannot be considered. As a result, there are only two faculty members in the unit and it cannot be considered as a teaching unit.

The report added that total number of patients admitted as Indoor Patients Department (IPD) has decreased from 6,060 in 2013 to 5,924 in 2015 while specialty clinics like cardiovascular and thoracic surgery clinic, urology clinic, surgical gastroenterology clinic, neutosurgery clinic and paediatric surgery clinic were not running. The total IPD in 2015 – 5,924; total major operations were 5,649, which means only 306 patients admitted, who did not have any major surgery, which is not feasible. There were also 10,150 minor operations (excluding 772 day care operations), which means they were also admitted.

The recognition of MD (microbiology) qualification for two seats was not given by the PME committee as it found molecular laboratory was under development while promotion of three doctors promoted as associate professors could not be verified as it was made as per regulations or not. The stipend paid to residents, Rs 4,000 per month, was much less than paid by the state government.

Similar was the case of MD (pathology) as the MCI noticed that deficiency in promotion of Dr Vijay Suri not being as per regulations remains as it is despite the fact he was promoted as professor not in accordance with the regulations. Dr RK Vijay, professor, does not have proper residence proof and there is no evidence in teaching register that he is regularly teaching students. Hence, it is doubtful that he is a regular employee of the institute.

“It can be said that degrees are ‘temporarily not recognised’ as there are minute and wrong deficiencies put by the MCI inspector and in compliance report, we would cover-up our minute shortcomings. Some deficiencies regarding, a few professors, who have been promoted, are earlier rectified by members of the MCI also. In many other universities, in the region also, VCs are acting as professors too,” said Dr Harkiran Kaur, Principal, Adesh Institute of Medical Science and Research, Bathinda.

Deficiencies found during inspection

The Postgraduate Medical Education Committee of the MCI while considering the Council Assessor’s Report of inspection done in June this year decided to recommend ‘not to recognise’ the qualification of MS (general surgery), MD (community medicine), and MD (pathology) courses in respect of students being trained at the AIMSR. The MCI has also denied permission to it to start the new course of MD (microbiology). During its inspection, the MCI has found numerous deficiencies in the four courses.