Rohtak, September 6
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has reportedly declined to permit Agroha Medical College to admit students for the current academic session because of staff shortage.

The inspection team of the MCI had visited the college being run by Maharaja Agarsain Medical Scientific and Research Society, in the third week of July to ascertain whether the college had the necessary infrastructure for admitting students.

The MCI found that although the institute had the infrastructure yet it lacked in faculty. The deficiency in staff was calculated to be 39 per cent.

The main objection of the MCI is that the college, like the PGIMS, Rohtak, has appointed a Director, who is not eligible to hold the post. The MCI has advised the institute that the Director should have a recognised postgraduate degree and at least 10 years’ teaching experience, of which at least five years should be as a professor in a recognised medical college.

The MCI has also reportedly turned down the request of the state government to hold another inspection of the PGIMS, Rohtak, on the grounds that no useful purpose would be served by the second inspection as the new Director, Dr P.L. Jindal, was also not eligible for appointment to the post.

The delay in the appointment of a regular eligible Director of the PGIMS has created uncertainty among the students seeking admission to MBBS and BDS courses here and dental colleges in Haryana and their parents.

The entrance test for admission to these courses was conducted by Kurukshetra University on August 14. It had notified a list of 6,000 meritorious students whom it had intended to invite for counselling on August 16 and 17. But following the reports of a reduction in MBBS seats at the PGIMS, Rohtak, by the MCI the counselling was cancelled abruptly.

Although over three weeks have passed, yet no date for counselling has been announced by Kurukshetra University. Even if it is done right now, at least two weeks’ notice would be required to summon the students for counselling. The MCI regulations on graduate medical education (1997) suggest that regular session should start in the first week of August every year.

After learning that the MCI has not approved the appointment of Dr Jindal as well the government advertised the post of Director on August 22. It appears that the process of counselling will now start only after the appointment of a new Director.

However, the advertisement given by the Financial Commissioner and Secretary, Health and Medical Education, for the post of Director has embroiled into a controversy. A provision has been made in the advertisement that the selection committee (suo motu or on sponsorship by an institution or organisation) can select a person who has not even applied for the post.

This obviously means that the government has already made up its mind on the choice of the candidate. This has created resentment among senior faculty members who plan to apply for the post.