MCI team inspects nine medical colleges in state

Dilip Patel Posted On Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 02:42:38 AM

A team of officials from the Medical Council of India were in Gujarat to inspect the various medical colleges in the state. The three-day inspection started from May 14. Sola Medical College, L G Medical College, Gujarat Cancer Research Insitute and SAL in Ahmedabad were inspected by the team. Other than these, the team also visited Medical colleges in Gandhinagar, Surat, Bhavnagar, the Gotri Medical College in Vadodara and a hospital in Bhuj During the inspections last year the MCI officials had found several problems with these medical colleges. This year, the team was in the state to review the situation. Last year the MCI team had found several shortcomings with the medical colleges. The hospitals didnt have enough beds, there was a shortage of residential staff, hostel and mess facilities for the students were lacking. Due to all this the MCI had not given approval to these medical colleges, a source said. The MCI revisited these colleges to review the situation and inspect the improvements made by the authorities of these hospitals. They especially reviewed the availability of staff and the requirement. It should be noted that the new semester for medical students begin from June. The medical colleges in the state are expectant that they will get the seal of approval this time. An L G Hospital Source said, last time during the inspection the MCI had pointed out that we needed to improve our facilities at the students hostel and mess. We have made the required changes. The team has come and seen the changes we have made. We are sure this time we will get their approval. Health minister Jaynarayan Vyas said, The MCI team held the inspection. We are hopeful that the approval will come along this time. The MCI will soon release information about which all colleges have got permission and those who have been rejected for want of infrastructure.

Pune doctor appointed MCI board member

Published: Sunday, May 15, 2011, 13:22 IST By DNA Correspondent | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

For the first time, a medical professional from the city has been appointed a member of the board of governors of the Medical Council of India (MCI): Dr Rajiv Yeravdekar, dean of Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences of the Symbiosis International University. The board of governors, which took over regulatory responsibilities of the MCI last year, was reconstituted on Friday with eminent medico, Dr KK Talwar being nominated as chairperson and four fresh members inducted on the panel. Yeravdekar said, The thrust would be on medical curriculum, an inter-disciplinary approach and integrated medical course. I would also like to reduce the lacunas in the medical system. He is also a member of the Indian Medical Association and Maharashtra Medical Association. He added, The MCI has a vision document 2015, which aims at bringing a change in the medical curriculum and the entire system in the country. So as a member I would be working on it under the chairmanship of Dr Talwar. Dr Yeravdekar said the MCI is working on curriculum modification and members would also contribute to it. Apart from Dr Yeravdekar, the three other board members are KS Sharma, professor and head, department of anaesthesiology, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai; Harbhajan Singh Rassam, director of clinical cardiac sciences and a senior interventional cardiologist, Max Heart and Vascular Institute, Delhi; and Dr Purushottam Lal, director of interventional cardiology, chairman, Metro Group of Hospitals. The government recently brought out a gazette notification extending the tenure of the MCI board from one to two years. The government had decided to bring in an ordinance to replace the MCI with the board after a crisis hit the regulatory body when its president, Ketan Desai was arrested on April 22 last year by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs2 crore to recognise a medical college in Punjab even though it did not meet the MCI standards. The present board had reported differences with the ministry on some issues, including conducting a National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). (With inputs from agencies)

Initiate democratic election process for MCI: IMA

New Delhi, May 18 (PTI) The one-year extension given to the Board of Governors, which was constituted to take over the regulatory responsibilities of now-dissolved Medical Council of India (MCI), has caused displeasure among members of Indian Medical Association (IMA). "When government dissolved the MCI and replaced it with Board of Governors, it promised to reconstitute the Council in one year. But now they have just replaced the old set of Governors with new ones," IMA national president Dr Vinay Aggarwal told reporters here today. The association termed the selection process of MCI members as "arbitrary". "MCI in its original form had 165 members which represented medical practitioners from all over the country but now it has only five members," Aggrawal said. "It is important to have a democratically elected MCI so as to maintain the autonomy of council," he said. Claiming that MCI in its present form is not representative of the medical community, IMA Secretary General Dr D R Rai said it demands restoration of the "democratic nature" of the Council.

The Board of Governors was formed after a crisis-hit MCI, when its president Ketan Desai was arrested on April 22 last year by the CBI for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs two crore to give recognition to a medical college in Punjab even though it did not meet the MCI standards. On May 11 this year, the tenure of board was extended for another year. The Board was reconstituted on May 13 with eminent medic K K Talwar being nominated as the new chairperson and four fresh members inducted in the panel. The MCI, a statutory body, tasked to oversee the standards of medical education in India, grants recognition to medical degrees, gives accreditation to medical colleges, registers medical practitioners and monitors medical practice in the country.