The Odisha Government has approached the Supreme Court Committee to direct the Medical Council of India (MCI) to accord permission for beginning of academic session in the new PRM Medical College and Hospital at Baripada.
Department of Health and Family Welfare Secretary Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda on Monday held the MCI responsible for not taking steps to issue letter of Permission (lOP) for commencement of 100 undergraduate intakes from 2017-18 academic sessions.
Dr Meherda in his letter to Sheesh Kumar, Secretary Supreme Court Mandated Oversight Committee on Functioning of Medical Council of India, said gross injustice has been done to the PRM Medical College and Hospital, Baripada, by the MCI for not recommending for issuance of loP for commencement academic session despite fulfillment of all the MCI mandates.
Dr Meherda giving out details of the action taken by the State Government urged the Supreme Court Committee to consider the justified claim and allow to start the first batch admission of 100 under graduate students from 2017-18, which will go a long way in fulfilling the long awaited dream of aspiring candidates to pursue MBBS Courses in the tribal- dominated area of the State.
The move follows the letter of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to Union Health Minister JP Nadda to issue the letter of Permission (loP) to the Baripada MCH.
In the meantime, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also requested the Union Health Minister to direct the MCI conduct a second visit to accord permission. He told reporters that he is doing the needful for such a visit.
“The MCI team will certainly inspect the college soon,” he told reporters. Pradhan too had urged Nadda for the second visit of MCI team as it is a pre-requisite for issuance of loP and making the college functional for undergraduate batch of 2017- 18.
“Tribal dominated areas like Mayurbhanj deserve a much developed healthcare system. This medical college will provide the right boost,” he had told Nadda.
Notably, the Union Government had recommended to the MCI for conducting the review assessment of Pandit Raghunath Murmu (PRM) Medical College and Hospital, Baripada and Saheed laxman Nayak Medical College and Hospital, Koraput.
While the MCI visited SlN MCH on April 11 for assessment of the compliance of the observations, it is yet to visit PRM MCH for assessment of the compliance, even though all requirements for obtaining the loP have meanwhile been fulfilled to commence first batch admission in the current year.