The proposed medical college of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC), which is the first municipality-run medical college in Delhi and third in India, received the nod from Medical Council of India on Monday, paving the path for commencement of course from August 1.
Built in a record time of six months and at an expenditure of less than Rs7 crore, the medical college will offer MBBS course to 50 students, who will be selected through National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
Municipal Commissioner PK Gupta confirmed the MCI nod and said the college would start functioning from this academic session itself.
“It’s a big achievement for the Corporation and a benefit to the students hailing from the Capital. The students will get quality education without spending much,” Gupta said.
located at Hindu Rao Hospital, the medical college was awaiting approval from the Medical Council of India, a team of which had inspected the facility in March, this year. Additional Commissioner Mayank Sharma said all infrastructure work, including classrooms, laboratories, library and auditorium, has been completed in keeping up with the MCI guidelines. He said 33 faculty members of the total sanctioned posts of 68 have already joined, and the syllabus and curriculum is also ready.
“The faculty members include retired professors from AIIMS and other reputed medical colleges and hospitals. A state-of-the-art infrastructure has been created so as to provide students all comforts and quality education,” Sharma said adding the entire facility has been created within a record time and also, the Corporation got the clearance in the first inspection by the MCI.
“As per the MCI guidelines, a 1,000 sq m library was required to be put in place. After much deliberation, we identified the space within the hospital premises and the existing offices have been relocated. Twenty eight international and 14 national journals along with several other books will be made available to the students in the library,” Sharma added. Further, the Corporation has also increased the age limit for its faculty members from 62 years to 70 years.
The medical college will first offer the MBBS course and later, other courses will also be introduced.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation had approved the proposal for the medical college in November last year and the entire infrastructure was ready by May, this year. Beginning with 50 students in the first phase, the infrastructure would further be developed to accommodate 200 students.
The medical college is associated with the Hindu Rao Hospital and Rajan Babu TB Hospital. Hindu Rao Hospital caters to lakhs of people from North Delhi as well as the Walled city. NMC will be the third civic body to have a medical college after Mumbai and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporations.