SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Sept 27: The fate of the state’s 300 MBBS seats seems to hang in balance again.
Three medical colleges in the state including Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College (Hazaribagh), Medinirai Medical College (Daltonganj) and Phulo Jhano Medical College (Dumka) were given one-year permission in 2021 but National Medical Commission (NMC) has not permitted for 2022 yet. The trio institutions have permission for 100 MBBS seats each.
Counselling for admission in medical colleges is set to start in two weeks but the suspense of NMC over admission in these medical colleges has robbed the sleep of the state health department.
However, the NMC has already cleared admission in two other medical colleges based in Jamshedpur and Dhanbad.
A senior official of the state health department medical education wing admitted that NMC has not given any letter to these three colleges for admission in 2022 so far. “We are hopeful of getting permission for continuation of admission this year,” he said.
The principal of one of the medical colleges on Monday said that his institution is well-prepared for the NMC inspection for permission in 2022 but no mail has come till date.
All these new medical colleges in the state were set up in 2019 with permission for 100 MBBS seats. But in 2020, NMC banned admission to all trio institutions of Jharkhand on grounds of not fulfilling conditions.
However, in 2021, they were granted permission by NMC for one year to take admission on 100 MBBS seats with conditions.
SNMMCH Dhanbad misses 50 seats again
Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad failed for the 6th successive year to regain its 50 MBBS seats (total 100) in the 2022 session.
Principal Dr Jyotiranjan Prasad told media persons that since NMC did not inspect the institution, now there is glean chance of a seat increase in the 2022 session. “Since all deficiencies have been plugged, we had hoped to regain 50 seats this session,” he said.
The irony is that four-year-old Hazaribagh, Palamu and Dumka medical colleges have permission for 100 MBBS seats but at the same time, 50-year-old SNMMCH (old PMCH) despite having better faculty strength, hospital infrastructure and other facilities than the other three medical colleges, have only 50-seat permission.
The then Medical Council of India 2013 had increased 50 MBBS seats to PMCH Dhanbad and MGMMCH Jamshedpur together. But in 2017, MCI reduced 50 seats of PMCH due to deficiencies in faculty members and infrastructures like the central library and centralized oxygen supply inwards of the hospital.
