GIAN SAGAR: NOD TO SHIFT STUDENTS
The council has approved the govt proposal to shift 500 students to other colleges in state
Executive committee of the Medical Council of India (MCI) has approved the proposal of the Punjab government to shift 500 MBBS students of the beleaguered Gian Sagar Medical College, Banur, to other colleges in the state. The ball is now in the court of the Union health ministry.
The private group of colleges that runs medical, dental, nursing and physiotherapy courses has been in financial doldrums for months now, hence classes remain suspended.
Faculty and the paramedical staff of the allied hospital remain on strike, some of them since February 1, as wages have not been paid since October last year.
“The meeting was held on Tuesday, but the approval is merely a recommendation to the central government, which shall give the final orders to the state government,” said an officer of the MCI on condition of anonymity.
The state government submitted a plan, as per which the shifting will be on the basis of merit, quota, category, and other criteria as applied in Punjab.
The final plan submitted to the MCI had slight changes as sought by the Punjab and Haryana high court, it is learnt.
MBBS REAL STRUGGLE
What’s the main task? There are 1,500 students, including 500 MBBS students, in Gian Sagar institutes. “There are enough vacancies for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and nursing students in the state’s other colleges, but the struggle is for shifting the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students. That’s why the court had asked the government to submit a detailed plan for the 500 MBBS students,” said an official of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, not willing to be named.
It was after the court sought the plan for MBBS students that BDS and nursing students under the Gian Sagar trust institutes moved court seeking shifting too.
Now, with Medical Council of India nod to shifting of MBBS students, there is hope that the relevant councils for the other courses too will give permission.
The state government had on May 10 withdrawn the essentiality certificates given to the medical college since 2006.
After the state government refused to take over the college that has multi-crore debt, it is essential to shift the students.