BMCRI running course for 10 years without recognition

Institiue did not renew approval for M.ch Urology course

Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), a premier government medical college, has been running a postgraduate degree course without recognition for the past 10 years.

The three-year M.ch Urology course has been running without renewal of recognition from the Medical Council of India (MCI).

The course was due for renewal in 2007 after its inception in 2002. According to the Medical Council of India, the course has to be renewed every five years after inspection by the council.

The department of Urology in BMCRI was closed in 2007 and the faculty were transferred to the newly formed Institute of Nephro-Urology (INU), an autonomous institute, started in the same year.

BMC, however, continued to admit students for M.ch Urology course and asked its students to work in the institute of nephro-urology as the college had no faculty.

Dr S Sacchidanand, acting director of Bangalore Medical college and Research Institute confirmed that the college has been running without a licence for the past 10 years. He said, “We are having discussions with the government whether to continue the course or not.”

He added that they have hired faculty on contract basis in BMCRI. Students will not have a problem as they are affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Health Sciences (RGUHS).

Although the course has been running without recognition, RGUHS, which oversees the course, has been granting affiliation to BMCRI for M.ch Urology every year, while Karnataka Medical Council (KMC) which attests the certificate of recognition for specialists to practise has been attesting the certificates of those students who have graduated.

“I am not aware that the course is continuing without recognition. We will look into it,” said Dr K S Ravindranath, vice chancellor of RGUHS.

Dr H Veerabhadrappa, president of KMC said that although they attest the certificates, the periodical check is conducted by MCI.

When DH contacted MCI for a response on the issue, the council vice president Dr C V Bhirmanandam refused to comment. There was also no response to a mail sent to MCI additional secretary Dr Reena Nayyar.