Stage set for admissions at Mandi Medical College

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 1

Decks have been cleared for admission of the first batch of 100 MBBS students in Lal Bahadur Government Medical College, Ner Chowk (Mandi), and renewal of letter of permission (LOP) for admission of second batch of MBBS at Dr YS Parmar Government Medical College at Nahan for the 2017-18 session.

The executive council of the Medical Council of India (MCI) at its meeting in Delhi on April 28 recommended issue of LOP for Mandi college and renewal of LOP for Nahan college. However, the case of LOP for Pt Jawahar Lal Medical college at Chamba is hanging in balance as deficiencies in faculty still existed. In two separate communications to Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, the MCI informed about the decision, recommending opening of Lal Bahadur Shashtri Medical College, a new medical college at Mandi under section 10(A) of the MCI Act 1956 and issue of LOP for admission of first batch of 100 MBBS students from 2017-18 session.

The MCI also recommended renewal of “Letter of Permission” (LOP) for second batch of 100 MBBS students at Dr YS Parmar Medical College, Nahan.

However, the Union Government would accord permissions only after approval of the “oversight committee” on the MCI. The decision was taken after considering the compliance reports and undertaking given by Principal Secretary (Health), Himachal Government.

The MCI teams had also inspected Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College at Chamba also but the deficiencies pointed out by the team were not fully removed even after compliance report was submitted and the matter hangs in balance.

The report submitted by the MCI teams after inspecting three colleges in December 2016 had pointed out glaring deficiencies in infrastructure and faculty and starting of admission from 2017-28 looked improbable but after submission of compliance report re-inspection was held last week due to initiative taken by Union Health Minister JP Nadda. The re-inspection was required to be done before April 30 and in case the deadline had not been adhered to, the entire exercise would have been rendered futile.

The MCI which also inspected the Dr YS Parmar Medical College, Nahan which admitted the first batch of MBBS last year, pointed out glaring deficiencies in the infrastructure, causing much embarrassment to the state. The MCI considered the compliance report and recommended renewal of LOP subject to fulfillment of some undertaking given by the government.

The Union government had sanctioned three Medical colleges to Himachal to be set up at Nahan, Chamba and Hamirpur in 2007 and also sanctioned Rs 190 crore for each college. Later the government took over the infrastructure developed for ESIC Medical college at Ner Chowk in Mandi, build at a cost of Rs 650 crore and the total cost rose to Rs 935 crore, including interest of Rs 285 crore .

The state government agreed to pay principal amount in 10 installments but not the interest. Following consensus arrived between the Centre and state governments on not paying the interest and the college was handed over to the state. Little progress was made in respect of Hamirpur Medical College as the land identified for the project was forest land. However, the clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest has been obtained and a formal communication in this regard is awaited, Dr Anil Chauhan, Director, Medical Education, said.

Fate of two other colleges hangs in balance  

• The case of LOP for Pt Jawahar Lal Medical college at Chamba is hanging in balance as deficiencies in faculty still existed.
• Little progress has been made in respect of Hamirpur Medical College as the land identified for the project was forest land. 
• However, clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest has been obtained and a formal communication in this regard is awaited.