The Punjab government has withdrawn the essentiality certificate from the Chintpurni Medical College, Pathankot, owned by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Swaran Salaria.
Sources told HT on Friday that the government will inform the Medical Council of India (MCI) regarding its decision on Monday. They said the process of shifting of students to government colleges will be completed in the next fortnight.
The notice served to the college by secretary, department of medical education and research, states that the college even after issuance of a show-cause notice has failed to submit any satisfactory explanation on its deficiencies and failed to impart requisite medical education and clinical expertise to its students as per the prescribed norms and standards of MCI.
The notice, a copy of which has been accessed by HT, further states that during personal hearings, no convincing reply was submitted on behalf of the college to remove deficiencies. It has been found that the management of the college has failed to keep its promises of correcting the deficiencies at a future date, it adds.
As of now, the burden of these students is on the Punjab government as it will have to build more infrastructure at its colleges and hire additional faculty.
“The MCI and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, have also found glaring deficiencies and shortcomings during the inspections carried out by MCI and has debarred the college to admit students for academic years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019,” says notice.
“It all points out to a deplorable state of affairs at Chintpurni Medical College and Hospital, Pathankot where a student is not being imparted education as per prescribed norms,” the notice adds.
“It is not desirable to have medical graduates without adequate and proper education and training. It shall be a seminal injustice to the society if such doctors having no proper medical education or expertise join the medical profession. Hence, The Essentiality certificate granted for the running of Chintpurni College and Hospital, Pathankot for M.B.B.S course with an intake of 150 students has been withdrawn forthwith,” it concludes.
The Punjab government had already decided to shift all 249 MBBS students of batches that started the course in 2014 and 2016 at the Chintpurni Medical College to three government medical colleges in Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot.
The decision to shift these students to the government colleges was taken to ensure that no student have to pay higher fee. As of now, the burden of these students is on the Punjab government as it will have to build more infrastructure at its colleges and hire additional faculty.
The college had started admissions in 2011, despite the fact that the MCI, regulator for medical education, never granted it the mandatory approvals.
The government has also claimed the Rs 10-crore security that the college had submitted to the MCI.
In the last meeting of the state cabinet, wherein the issue of shifting of students of the college was discussed, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh had said the government was committed to protecting the career of students.
The Punjab and Haryana high court order of September 8, wherein it directed the state government to shift all students of 2014 batch of Chintpurni Medical College to other medical colleges across the state within two months, brought relief for them.
While the 2011 batch of 150 students had earlier moved the high court and have since long been shifted to other colleges, students of 2014 and 2016 batches were staring at a bleak future. These students moved the high court on April 26, 2016, pleading they be shifted to other colleges in the state claiming that their institute is “short of infrastructure”.
The college had started admissions in 2011, despite the fact that the MCI, regulator for medical education, never granted it the mandatory approvals.
[“source=hindustantimes”]
