Acting on the recommendation of the Medical Council of India (MCI), the Union Health Ministry has barred six more medical colleges from admitting MBBS students for 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years for failing to meet the pre-requisite infrastructure as set by the top medical education regulator. The colleges have an intake capacity of 150 students each.
This is in addition to 23 colleges which have been so far disapproved by the Ministry after they were found deficient in ensuring infrastructure and human resources.
A total 34 colleges were approved by Supreme Court-appointed Oversight Committee in May 2016, which were earlier disapproved by the MCI itself.
Retired Judge RM lodha, who headed the Oversight Committee, had directed that if these colleges fail another inspection test, they will not be able to conduct admissions for another two years.
A senior health official said that during inspection, the MCI had found deficiencies such as shortage of faculty and resident doctors, no emergency wards, fake faculty members and fake patients among others.
When asked about the fate of the first batch students who were admitted in these colleges in 2016 after clearing the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), the official said that these students will continue their courses in these colleges only.
After all they have made huge investment.
They cannot close down just like that.
In case the colleges are able to make up with the standards they will be given approval after two academic sessions. Debarring them from the two sessions is just a stern warning to them that they cannot compromise with education standard.