The State stands to lose 450 MBBS seats this academic year, with the NMC issuing notices to Jubilee Mission Medical College, Thrissur, Gokulam Meddical College, Thiruvananthapuram, CSI Somerset Memorial Medical College, Karakonam, and SUT Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, denying the continuance of recognition to MBBS courses run by these institutions. NMC’s action follows a physical inspection in these institutions
K. Mohanan, the Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS), has called a meeting of the Principals of four private medical colleges in the State after the National Medical Commission (NMC) refused to grant continuance of recognition to the undergraduate courses run by these colleges.
The meeting will be conducted online on Tuesday. It has been called by the V-C following a directive by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who is the Chancellor, to intervene and confer with the NMC on behalf of the medical colleges.
Jubilee Mission Medical College, Thrissur, one of the colleges which has been issued notice by the NMC, had written to the Governor seeking his intervention in the matter.
The State stands to lose 450 MBBS seats this academic year, with the NMC issuing notices to Jubilee Mission Medical College, Thrissur (100 seats), Gokulam Meddical College, Thiruvananthapuram (150 seats), CSI Somerset Memorial Medical College, Karakonam (150 seats), and SUT Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, (loses 50 out of its 100 MBBS seats this year), denying the continuance of recognition to MBBS courses run by these institutions. NMC’s action follows the physical inspection conducted by the NMC in these institutions, which reported deficiencies, including faculty shortage, shortage of residents, poor patient inflow, and dubious conduct of exams.
However, these colleges can rectify the deficiencies and then appeal to the NMC to get the recognition for the MBBS courses restored.
The KUHS VC said that the meeting on Tuesday would discuss what could be done by the individual institutions to appeal to the NMC for gaining back the recognition. The KUHS would write to the NMC directly on behalf of the colleges and call for a speedy hearing with the NMC so that the MBBS admissions this year were not affected.
The NMC inspections are a regular affair and once recognition is granted for the MBBS course of a medical college, it will be valid for a period of five years. All four medical colleges in the State that were issued notices by the NMC for non-compliance of norms were undergoing the inspection for the sixth year.
NMC inspections are imperative to medical colleges to ensure that they keep up with the quality of medical education. Colleges pulled up by the NMC could always go on appeal once the deficiencies were corrected, Dr. Mohanan said.
