CM orders crackdown on pvt medical colleges

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday ordered a crackdown on private medical and dental colleges in the state engaged in the “business of making money at the cost of the future of the students”, warning them to either perform or close their shop.

The CM issued these orders at a review meeting of departments of medical education and research and health and family welfare here to discuss the problems faced by the medical institutions in the state, including the controversy-ridden Gian Sagar and Chintpurni medical colleges.

Amarinder warned that private medical and dental colleges found violating admission norms and not delivering quality education would be shut down.

Secretary, medical education and research, informed the CM that the department had already clamped down on private colleges, especially nursing institutions found to be flouting prescribed norms for admissions and not imparting quality education.

The CM asked the department to look into the possibility of revising salaries of super specialists working in hospitals attached to the medical colleges to bring them at par with doctors in private hospitals to attract talent.

Amid complaints of lack of funds faced by most government medical colleges, the CM asked chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh to ensure central funds reserved for medical education are made available to these colleges and work out modalities for fund allocation from the state exchequer as feasible.