SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, March 15: The Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad has received the Letter of Permission (LOP) from the National Medical Commission (NMC) for 100 MBBS seats from 2023-24 academic sessions one month before the deadline of the undertaking.
The NMC had on February 1 permitted for 100 MBBS seats to SNMMCH for the next session 2023-24 after obtaining an undertaking that all deficiencies of institutions would be compliant in two months (April). However, NMC sent the LOP one month earlier to the college on basis of available infrastructure and ongoing preparation.
Giving this information SNMMCH principal Dr Jyotiranjan Prasad said that after getting LOP from NMC, he has intensified preparation for getting postgraduate (PG) permission. “On basis of the faculty strength of some of the departments, we are confident of getting PG course permission soon”, said the principal.
NMC LOP to SNMMCH after the undertaking is significant as in 2020 medical colleges monitoring body of the country (NMC) had stopped admission in three newly set up Hazaribagh, Palamu and Dumka Colleges. The state government had given an undertaking to NMC to compliance all deficiencies in three months. However, due to Covid, the government failed to fulfil the undertaking. Later, in 2022 NMC lifted the ban.
SNMMCH at present has permission for 50 MBBS seats. In 2013, the then Medical Council of India (MCI) had increased 50 MBBS seats (total of 100) to Patliputra Medical College Hospital (now SNMMCH) Dhanbad and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital MGMMCH) Jamshedpur simultaneously.
However, in 2016, MCI reduced 50 MBBS seats of PMCH Dhanbad again in wake of deficiencies in infrastructure and teachers in different departments. Since then, every year SNMMCH had been applying for increasing 50 MBBS seats. Four other medical colleges of the state government including MGMMCH, SBMCH Hazaribag, and MMCH Palamu, SKMCH Dumka have permission for 100 seats.
Meanwhile, the SNMMCH Dhanbad is still reeling under an acute shortage of senior teachers in different departments. Surgery, Physiology, Skin, eye, PSM, biochemistry, and paediatrics along with many faculties are without professors.
A senior officer of the health department said that the additional chief secretary (ACS) health (Arun Kumar Singh) is serious to streamline not only the faculties of SNMMCH Dhanbad but also the other four medical colleges. “Walk-In-Interviews have already been held on March 4 at Ranchi for 89 vacant posts of professors in 24 departments. So the crisis of senior teachers in all five medical colleges of state would be solved this month,” said the health department official.
