Bihar moves SC to save 250 MBBS seats, other states too exploring legal options

NEW DELHI, JUNE 7: Against the backdrop of the recent directive of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) refusing to renew permission for 82 medical colleges and thus blocking about 1000 MBBS seats, the states and colleges are exploring options to approach the Supreme Court to get an interim stay. The Ministry directive has put question mark on nearly 10,430 MBBS seats available in the colleges affected by the latest directive by the health ministry.

The 82 medical colleges have been denied approval owing to multiple factors including the lack of proper infrastructure, disproportionate student-teacher ratio and an inadequate number of patients for the proper functioning of the medical colleges, as recorded by Medical Council of India (MCI) during its inspection earlier this year. The timing of Government’s order based on MCI recommendation is also being questioned as it came soon after the announcement of the NEET 2018 results.

Legal options, Affidavit to MCI

The maximum number of colleges in the list are from Uttar Pradesh as the Ministry order has put question mark on 3250 MBBS seats available in 26 colleges across the state.

Dr  J V Singh, Council Member, MCI says, "the MCI has set a standard for assessment of UG  medical education which is known to every medical colleges.If they are not fulfilling the criteria then they are not suitable for UG medical education. If they are fulfilling it before comencement of counselling they may ask for re evaluation. Government of UP must come forward to extend the support the existing medical colleges to meet minimum standard and ask MCI for reevaluation or approach to Over Cite committee nominated by the Supreme Court of India."

Last year, Ashutosh Tandon, Medical Education Minister, Uttar Pradesh had announced to open 25 medical colleges in state with 150 seats each in next four years. In an effort to produce an adequate number of doctors for rural healthcare necessity, the government had as well decided to upgrade six medical colleges.

In an attempt to secure provisional permission to admit students for the current academic session, the Dr. K K Gupta, Director of Medical Education, UP, speaking to Careers360 said that the state government has already filed an affidavit with the MCI stating that all the MCI requirements will be met before the counselling for MBBS admissions begins.

“We have the option to go to the Supreme Court also. It’s the question of the future of hundreds of candidates who have qualified NEET. The result has been announced just now and we are hopeful to complete all MCI requirements by the time counselling begins. We are hopeful to get back these MBBS seats, else we will be left with no option but to knock the doors of the Supreme Court to save future of candidates,” said Dr. Gupta.

The Bihar state government has also moved the Supreme Court requesting an interim order to permit admission on the 250 MBBS seats in three medical colleges for the current academic session. If the SC decides otherwise, there will be only around 700 MBBS seats in the government-run medical colleges in Bihar.

Jyoti Krishna Das, Principal, Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences admitted that it is facing shortage of faculty. But this is a problem with many medical colleges across India, particularly those far away from large cities, the college officials said. We are hoping to sail through this.

Down south, Karnataka stare at losing 2220 UG seats in 7 different colleges which may get affected under the new directive. The insufficiency in the number of staff, deficiency in clinical equipment, infrastructure and top-tier posts being vacant were some of the issues stated by the MCI during the inspection leading to de-recognition.

The Principal Secretary of Medical Education, Karnataka, V Manjula has admitted that the few posts which were vacant, and the few staffs who were absent at the time of the MCI inspection, led to the revoking of the renewal and they.

Certain private colleges including St John’s, however, plan to take legal recourse if they don’t get a relief by August.

“We have been denied the permission to increase seats from 60 to 150 by the MCI. Since we think we are equipped to handle a strength of 150 students, we have decided to approach the Supreme Court in this regard,” reacted Dr. George D’Souza, Dean of St John’s Medical College, Bangalore.

“If things fail to pan out in our favour, we might as well look into the matter again and make sure we comply to all the suggestions made by MCI and apply again the next year,” he added.