By Mumtaz Naiyer for TwoCircles.net
Recently, the University Grants Commission (UGC) published a list of fake universities in India. The state of Uttar Pradesh topped the list of maximum fake universities with eight out of 22. This prompted me to look at the list of medical colleges approved by Medical Council of India (MCI). The first thing that came in my mind to check the MCI approved medical colleges of my native state Bihar, which has 13 MCI-approved medical colleges. I was also curious to know what courses (under graduate and post graduate) these colleges offer. Is there any research work being conducted in these medical colleges?
To my utter surprise, however, I found two of MCI approved colleges in the state of Bihar are bereft of any website. The name of two such medical colleges is “Mata Gujri Memorial Medical College, Kishanganj” and “Lord Buddha Koshi Medical College and Hospital, Saharsa”. Both medical colleges are private. MGM Medical College Kishanganj is running under a trust and a Sikh minority institution.
The college has been situated in one of the most backward regions of India, Kishanganj, which has 70% Muslim population. As a native of Kishanganj, it was no less than a shock for me to know that the only medical college in the district is being operated since 1990 without any website.
As per the terms of Notification published on 03.07.2015 in the Gazette of India, the Medical Council of India (MCI) clearly states that each and every college/institute shall have its own website wherein the following details updated in the first week of every month shall be provided:-
Details of Dean, Principal and Medical Superintendent including their name, qualification complete address with telephone and STD code, fax and E-mail etc.
Teaching as well as non-teaching staff.
Details of the sanctioned intake capacity of various courses UG as well as PGs by the MCI.
List of students admitted merit-wise category-wise (UG & PG) for the current and previous year.
Any research publications during the last one year.
Details of any CME programmes, conferences and/or any academic activities conducted by the institution.
Details of any awards and achievement received by the students or faculty
Details of the affiliated university and its Vice-Chancellor and Registrars.
Result of all the examinations of last one year.
Detailed status of recognition of all the courses.
Details of clinical material in the hospital.
Such colleges without a website clearly violate the MCI guidelines and unfortunately MGM Medical College Kishanganj is one of them. This institution has been permitted by the MCI, New Delhi to undertake admission of 60 Students to the MBBS Course which has been increased to 100 last year. The fact that a college has been running for 26 years without a website shows poor transparency on account of both the MCI and the college administration. One can only wonder what kind of doctors the institution is producing. Because of such private medical colleges the market has been flooded with doctors so poorly trained that they are a little better than quacks.
Many of the private colleges have been set up by businessmen and politicians, who have no experience operating medical or educational institutions. The director of the MGM medical college Mr. Dilip Jaiswal is also a politician who is BJP MLC from the area.
Paying bribes – often in the guise of “donations” – to gain admission to private Indian medical schools is widespread, according to India’s health ministry, doctors and college officials. Such donations are being used in money laundering and other political activities.
As per sources MGM medical college Kishanganj has annual turnover of more than Rs 200 crore, yet somehow it still does not have even a basic website, which is quite surprising. Also there have been instances of medical negligence; patients dying in operation theatre etc. which have been reported. The poor patients could not muster courage to report in the police because the director of the institution is very influential BJP politician.
I would like to draw the attention of Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar and the Union Minister of Health and family welfare J P Nadda to look after the matter as to why MGM Medical College Kishanganj violates the MCI guidelines.
I hope the authorities of MGM Medical College will address the issue at the earliest and for maintaining transparency it will update the details in their website as per the MCI terms of Notification published on 03.07.2015 in the Gazette of India.
The author is a Postdoctoral Scientist at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK