SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 23: National Medical Commission (NMC) has sought a status report from Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMH) Dhanbad over the application of increasing 50 additional MBBS seats (total of 100) in the 2023 academic session.
SNMMCH Principal Dr Jyoti Ranjan Prasad today admitted that NMC had sought a report from the college over available facilities. The college has filled up the format (status report of the institution) and uploaded it for the NMC. Now the admin is waiting for the visit of the NMC team for inspection of the institution.
Jharkhand has six government-owned medical colleges in which only SNMMCH Dhanbad has merely 50 MBBS seat permission. Even three new medical colleges that come up in 2019 Dumka, Hazaribagh and Palamu medical colleges have 100 MBBS seats permission from NMC.
“SNMMCH should have been permitted for 100 MBBS seats earlier. However this time we are hopeful of getting 50 more seats as an institution has complied with all deficiencies pointed out by NMC and restored all facilities required for 100 MBBS seats permission”, said principal Dr Jyoti Ranjan Prasad.
The then Medical Council of India (MCI) had permitted 100 MBBS seats altogether to PMCH (now SNMMCH) Dhanbad and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital (MGMMCH) Jamshedpur in 2013. But two years later, the MCI reduced 50 seats of PMCH in the 2017 session owing to faculty deficiencies.
“At present, some deficiencies of faculty members still exist but that would not stand as hurdles in 100 MBBS seats this time,” said Dr Sunil Kumar Verma, head of the department of biochemistry who also deals with NMC affair of the institution.
After successfully launching the foundation Yoga course of NMC in college, Principal Dr Jyotiranjan Prasad said that after achieving the mission of 100 MBBS seats, the college would focus on getting Post Graduate course permission from NMC. At least in half a dozen subjects, SNMMCH has enough strength to start the PG course.
After Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS), MGMMCH has PG course facilities in some selected subjects in the state.