As IGMCRI rushes to rectify deficiencies for NMC recognition, medical aspirants are a worried lot

Last month, the Director of the Under Graduate Medical Education Board of the National Medical Commission, Shambu Sharan Kumar, conveyed to the Dean of IGMCRI the decision not to grant permission to admit MBBS students for the 2023 batch, citing shortcomings

The deficiencies pertain largely to the installation of CCTV cameras and biometric attendance of staff, which have been corrected, IGMCRI officials say. | Photo Credit: KUMAR SS

As the authorities of the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute (IGMCRI) rush to rectify the deficiencies that the Under Graduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission had pointed out while rejecting the renewal of recognition for its MBBS degree, medical aspirants are worried about what the future holds.

Last month, the Director of UGMEB, Shambu Sharan Kumar, in a communication to the Dean of IGMCRI, conveyed its decision not to grant permission to admit MBBS students for the 2023 batch.

“It is disappointing to know that the Board has not allowed the college to admit students this year. In the Union Territory, medical aspirants prefer to get admission in either Jipmer or IGMCRI, as all other medical institutes are private. If the government fails to rectify the defects pointed out by UGMEB, local students aspiring to join the medical profession will be greatly disappointed. The government should act on a war footing to get permission to admit students, and also take measures to avoid a recurrence of such a situation,” said a parent of a student waiting for NEET results.

However, IGMCRI officials said the deficiencies pointed out by the Board pertained largely to the installation of CCTV cameras and biometric attendance of staff. “Though they have pointed out certain lacunae in teaching staff, the deficiencies largely pertain to CCTV cameras and biometric attendance. These were immediately corrected. We will certainly get permission [to admit students] soon,” an official said.

The discontinuation of medical admission is nothing new to the medical college. In 2010, when the institution was dedicated to the public, the government had to approach the Madras High Court to get permission from the then Medical Council of India after the regulatory body declined to give the permission even after three inspections.

Since then, for every year till 2015, the first assessment was always unsuccessful and the institute had to undergo compliance inspections to rectify deficiencies.

“In the initial years, the deficiencies were grave with respect to infrastructure, teaching faculty and bed strength. The performance audit for 2011-16 by the CAG made several critical remarks on the administration of the college. The audit agency even accused the college authorities of misrepresenting the facts on the bed strength to the Medical Council of India for obtaining annual renewals. Now, we fare much better, but the government needs to do a lot more as the demand for staff is growing. Infrastructure needs to be augmented,” a college staff member said.

The college started implementing the quota for the economically weaker sections in 2019. To implement the quota, the government increased the number of MBBS seats from 150 to 180. “To cater to the needs of 30 students more than the sanctioned strength, we have to increase the faculty strength and improve infrastructure by next year. We will need at least 100 doctors and residents to comply with the norms,” a source said.

“The nursing staff strength also has to go up. Otherwise, we will face a similar situation in the next academic year. We need to augment our services not only to get students admitted but also for better patient care. Bureaucratic hurdles are causing much of the problems. We are yet to get our grant-in aid for March to August approved. The funds sought are well within the budgeted amount, but still, the file is hanging fire at the Chief Secretariat,” the source said.