The State Government, particularly the Health Department officials are squarely blamed for the denial by the Medical Council of India (MCI) to the SCB Medical College and Hospital to increased its MMBS intake from this year.
The MCI denial has not only put the premier referral hospital of the State here at the crossroads but has also sealed the fates of two other Government teaching hospitals of the State from making any stake to increase their MBBS seats in near future.
With much reluctance, the MCI had permanently increased the MMBS seats of the SCB teaching hospital from 107 to 150 in 2007 and had sounded a warning that unless the infrastructure and faculty positions of the college and hospital were improved, it could not think up increasing its medicos’ intake.
But without giving any emphasis on improving the situation as per the suggestion of the MCI for last six years, the State Government again this year sought increase in the MBBS seats of the SCB Medical College from 150 to 250.
Accordingly, a team of MCI officials visited the teaching hospital to inspect the facilities. On the basis of the team’s report, the MCI governing body on May 29 dismissed the State Government’s proposal, making disparaging observations.
“The Government officials, particularly the hospital’s Administrative Officer, the DMET and the State Health Secretary should be held responsible for creating such upsetting situations for the premier hospital of the State,” said Cuttack Bachao Committee convener and CPI(M) leader Subash Singh. He said the embarrassment created for SCB would also hamper the prospects of increasing seats in the Brahmapur and Burla teaching hospitals.
The State Government should work on a war footing to remove the wanting of the Cuttack hospital and make a fresh bid to increase the MBBS intake here from this academic year itself, Singh said.
According to reports, for admitting 250 fresher medicos, the SCB Medical College is falling short of some nine per cent teaching faculties. Posts of a Professor, five Associate Professors, 10 Assistant Professors and two Tutors are still lying vacant in the college. Similarly, the medical college is lagging far behind in proper infrastructures like adequate classrooms, lecture theatres, examination halls and library.
The MCI too has raised objections for increasing the seats because the hospital of the medical college also has poor infrastructure, reports said.The hospital waste management and sanitation also came in for sharp criticism from the MCI, said advocate Pravat Ranjan Dash, a member of the Odisha High Court Advocates’ Committee on health affairs.