We’re just managing with available resources, says new RGUHS vice-chancellor

Facing controversy for becoming the first medical man from a private medical college to head the state’s only university offering healthcare education, Dr B C Bhagavan insists that his appointment as the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) vice-chancellor was purely based on merit. He sat with DH’s Rashmi Belur to discuss that and more. Excerpts:

Your appointment as the V-C became a controversy.

I’m the first one from a private college to be appointed as V-C. In the past, candidates from private colleges were shortlisted by search committees. I was in the race because I was a member of the Senate and Syndicate for the last 28 years. I’ve overseen several reforms at the university while heading various committees. I was instrumental in introducing the e-library Helinet and online exam system. Considering my vast experience, the government and the Governor appointed me. 

When is the much-delayed Ramanagar campus expected to be ready?

In another 6-8 months, the new admin block will be ready for us to move in. Construction of the medical college will take 8-12 months. We want to start our own hospital on the campus along with the college. 

Why is the construction of the campus delayed?

Of the 216 acres of land, 71 acres are in the university’s name. The remaining land is with the medical education department. We’ve requested the medical education minister and deputy chief minister to register 140 acres in the name of the university. Recently, we found out that there’s no master plan for the project. We’ve decided to add lung space, a water body, staff quarters, auditorium, etc. We’re changing everything.

How’s the university’s financial health after having agreed to release Rs 500 crore to the government?

In a previous plan, Rs 600 crore was earmarked for the new campus. Of that, we’ve released Rs 300 crore. We need another Rs 800 crore. We need funds to run the medical college. The university has a corpus of Rs 1,400 crore. Our source of income is from exams and affiliation. There’s no financial assistance from the government. The problem is our expenditure is more and we’re managing with the available resources. The Syndicate has given in-principle approval to consider the government’s request seeking funds for the Bagalkot medical college. It was also decided to tell the government about our financial condition.

Deficiencies in medical colleges have raised questions over quality of medical education.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has taken serious action against erring colleges. The university, too, has done the same. We’ve clearly said no to admissions if there are deficiencies. As far as state-run colleges are concerned, the government is in touch with NMC for correction of deficiencies. We’ve also recommended to the government that teaching posts must be filled up.

Nursing colleges are facing lots of allegations on irregularities

Steps are being taken to rectify irregularities. We’ve instructed the local inquiry committees (LIC) to be vigilant and look for infrastructure, clinical facilities and availability of faculties. We’re giving affiliation only after obtaining a declaration from colleges. Wherever there are irregularities, we’ve stopped admissions. Since there’s a great demand for nursing, we can’t stop institutions from coming up. Every year, 20 lakh nurses are needed internationally. We’ve informed colleges there’s no compromise on quality. 

A few professors from Karnataka, who were deputed by the NMC as assessors, have been arrested by CBI for bribery.

The RGUHS has nothing to do with NMC. They choose assessors from government colleges and do assessments. We have conducted workshops for LIC members so that they can understand the importance of assessment and steer clear of malpractices. They’ve been told to do assessments keeping in mind the national developments. I feel it’s not malpractice always; it’s also ignorance and not following procedure. 

Demand for some PG courses has declined. What will be the impact on courses?

Yes. Subjects like anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology and forensics have lost demand. Some colleges are offering these courses for free, some are providing stipends. This is going to be a major problem. We’ve requested NMC to allow medical anatomy, medical physiology and medical bio-chemistry in place of those courses for which we’re not getting admissions at the post-graduate level.