Disappointing news for MBBS aspiring students after clearing NEET. The Maharashtra government’s plan to start 10 new medical colleges and admit 1000 new MBBS seats this year is difficult to complete. An inspection conducted by the National Medical Commission (NMC) last week did not receive a positive response for opening all 10 medical colleges. Let us tell you that the National Medical Commission (NMC) sets the standards of medical education in the country and gives the green light for opening medical colleges and their seats. Of the 10 proposed medical colleges, only three or four, including GT Hospital Fort, may get the green light. Other medical colleges may have to wait for at least one year.
According to Times of India news, during the inspection, the NMC, the body that oversees medical education, found lack of faculty, infrastructure and equipment in most of the medical colleges. A state government official confirmed that all medical colleges have barely met the NMC norms this year. Medical colleges are expected to receive the letter this week. Medical colleges can be started as per the plan, they will have to revise it and apply for re-accreditation, all this will be clear only after receiving the letter.
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The dean of the proposed medical college said that initial indications of rejection were given during video calling last Friday. “The NMC found that only one institute has recruited deans, teachers are yet to be recruited,” he said. Many colleges lacked college buildings, faculty, hostels, library of books, furniture and equipment. For example, the NMC team has raised doubts about Ambernath College adding four hospitals to meet the minimum bed capacity requirement. Although this is a temporary arrangement till the college building is completed, the NMC found it impractical. “The NMC felt that basic facilities were missing in most of the colleges,” said another dean, requesting anonymity. He said the NMC was also not happy with the lack of a basic attendance tracking system. “Many colleges have not installed biometrics,” said the dean.
Among the list of 10 newly opened medical colleges, MMR will have two colleges: one in Mumbai (running from the GT and Cama Hospital campuses) and the other in Ambernath. Also, new medical colleges are planned at Bhandara, Buldhana, Washim, Amaravati and Jalna and Hingoli in Marathwada region and Nashik and Gadchiroli in Vidarbha region. Each college will have 100 MBBS seats each. The state government is working on a plan to build at least one medical college in all the 36 districts of the state. An official said, “Even if approval is delayed this year, approval will be given in 1-2 years because the Govt Budget has been allotted.”
There are 25 government medical colleges in the state, with a total of 3,950 MBBS seats. While the state has set a target of adding 1,000 seats, if only three or four new colleges are sanctioned, the seats will increase by only 300 or 400 instead of 1,000.