Nahan medical college gets go-ahead to admit students

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 16

Dr YS Parmar Government Medical College, Nahan, will start admitting the first batch of 100 MBBS students from this session. After conducting two inspections, the Medical Council of India (MCI) submitted its report to the Union Ministry of Health and family Welfare and got the approval.

However, the chances of other three colleges becoming operational this year are bleak as these lack adequate infrastructure and faculty as per the MCI norms.

Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College coming up at Chamba is still in the process of developing infrastructure and recruiting the faculty. Dr S Radhakrishanan Government Medical College in Hamirpur is awaiting environmental clearance while the Rs 800 crore infrastructure developed by the Union government for ESI Medical College at Nerchowk (Mandi) is yet to be handed over to the state although the decks have been cleared for the same after prolonged parleys between the state and the Union governments.

The government is facing faculty shortage. It has offered retiring medical teachers of the IGMC, Shimla, and Government Medical College, Tanda (Kangra), a three-year extension in case they were willing to join the new colleges.

Despite this, the faculty is not available for Chamba college and some “unwilling” teachers were shifted from the IGMC and Tanda medical college to the new colleges.

The state government had agreed to take over of Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) medical college at Nerchowk last month.

The matter had been hanging fire for about two years as the Labour Ministry had refused to run the medical college and asked the state government to take over the building and other infrastructure, but the latter was not ready to pay interest on liabilities amounting Rs 285 crore.

The Labour Ministry was pressing the government to pay 10 per cent interest on liability of Rs 285 crore, but it not only wanted the interest waived, but also sought to pay the amount in five instalments.

However, the Union government agreed to the terms of the state government at a meeting held recently and it was agreed that the amount would be paid in five instalments. The first instalment was to be paid in 2017-18 after the first batch was admitted.

Thus, it is clear that the classes in ESI medical college and other two colleges at Chamba and Hamirpur will not start this year. The two existing medical colleges in the government sector — IGMC and Tanda Medical College — have 100 MBBS seats each. With Nahan college becoming functional this year, the number of seats will increase to 300.

Health Minister Kaul Singh said the government would make all efforts to meet the requirements of the MCI to make the other three colleges functional at the earliest.