JOIN USState colleges await MCI nod
The colleges whose future is in the hands of the board are Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences; S S Institute of Medical Sciences, Davanagere; Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences; Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli and Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, sources told Deccan Herald.
The board will be meeting almost daily to clear pending applications from 86 medical colleges including the five from Karnataka as there is a Supreme Court directive to finish all admission cases by June 15.Without the MCI approval, new medical colleges can not take fresh students as colleges have to renew their approval for admission of fresh batches every year for the first five years. Once the first batch is graduated and the college has necessary infrastructure in place, they no longer need the annual approvals.
The board will have to decide on admission of forth batch of students in Bidar and Shimoga medical colleges and fifth batch in Davanagere and Mandya. The Hubli medical college is awaiting MCI approval for its second batch.
Headed by Delhi professor Shiv Kumar Sarin, the board will have to decide on 40 odd medical colleges, which MCI inspected but did not give any recommendation to the government.
Guidelines
Besides clearing the pending applications from medical colleges, the six-member board is also expected to provide a clear guideline on what the curricula to create the proposed cadre of rural doctors who will be posted in villages and serve there.
While the government is in favour of creating a rural cadre, the contours of the curricula and the duration of the course was to be decided by the MCI. With the centre suspending the MCI management for one year, the responsibility has been bestowed on the board.
The board members met Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and health secretary K Sujatha Rao here on Tuesday. They attended a meeting to discuss whether medical education will remain with the health or will be shifted to union human resource development ministry.
A tussle is on between the two ministries on who will look after medical education – would it be the National Council on Human Resource on Health (health ministry) or National Council on Higher Education and Research (Human Resources and Development ministry). Both secretaries met on Tuesday to discuss where to place medical education.
DH News Service