'4 B'lore medical colleges flouted admission norms'

The one man committee set up to monitor admissions to medical, dental and engineering colleges has charged four Bangalore-based private medical colleges of gross irregularities, said Medical Education Minister S A Ramdas on Saturday.

Addressing the media in Bangalore, he said Rajarajeswari Medical College, MVJ Medical College, Vydehi Medical College and Saptagiri Medical and Research Institute had indulged in admission irregularities for the years 2011-12 and 2012-13.

He said the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore (RGUHS) has already been directed not to approve admissions to Saptagiri Medical Research Institute, which had indulged in irregularities while admitting students for medical courses in 2011-12. The Institute is a religious minority institution from the Kodava Community.

“During inspection, it was found that there were many irregularities in the admission process. For example, in 2011-12 admission process, everybody from rank no 1106 to 1421 has secured 90 marks. Since it is a religious minority institution, 66 per cent total admission should be for the Kodava community. But there is only one Kodava student among the 150 admissions.

This is a gross irregularity. The government, which is contemplating legal action against the institution has issued a notice on November 6,” said Ramdas, adding that the committee was visiting all the minority institutions in the State this month, and notices are being issued to all those found flouting norms.

Appointments

Ramdas also said in view of the Medical Council of India’s visit to 10 medical colleges in Karnataka in January and February next year, the State government had decided to appoint around 3,500 teaching and non-teaching staff to these colleges.

The medical colleges were to recruit the teaching and non-teaching faculty as per the MCI norms. Around 21 professors, 26 associate professors and 26 assistant professors, would be recruited in the teaching faculty in 10 medical colleges, he said.

There were many non-teaching vacancies to be filled up and the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute alone needed about 1,000 non-teaching faculty, including 600 staff nurses, 156 technicians, Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ posts.

A decision had also been taken to provide MRI and CT scan facilities in all the medical colleges, the minister said.