Seeking alternative arrangements, 1st yr DMCH medicos launch stir

THREE DEPTS OPERATING FROM THE DMCH’S OLD COLLEGE BUILDING ARE LIKELY TO BE DISMANTLED TO CONSTRUCT THE PROPOSED AIIMS

DARBHANGA: Demanding an alternative arrangement to shift and relocate three departments from the Old College Building (OCB) at the Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), several first-year MBBS students of the 2021 batch forced the closure of the outdoor patient departments (OPDs) during a protest on Wednesday.

Currently, three departments, i.e. physiology, anatomy and biochemistry are being operated from the OCB, which is likely to be dismantled next month in view of the construction of the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

“As of now, we struggle daily to reach OCB, where three departments meant for first-year students are running. The entire area situated on the eastern side of VIP road on DMCH campus is littered with huge quantity of dust due to ongoing construction work”, quipped an agitating student.

Ganesh Kumar, another firstyear student, asserted that the students had staged a symbolic protest on Tuesday to draw the attention of the authorities concerned but in vain. “We will continue to stage protest till concrete assurance is given to us about our genuine demands about proper hostel as well as classroom facilities,” said Ganesh. Echoing similar views, another student at DMCH said, “We are living in a dilapidated NDH hostel building and study in classrooms which will soon be dismantled. We took admission here thinking that DMCH is very prestigious institution, the second-largest in Bihar. All our expectations were shattered after we saw harsh reality here.”

Meanwhile, when contacted, an assistant professor in the physiology department at DMCH, Dr Bharat Kumar, lamented that without making an alternative arrangement to relocate the departments which will be dismantled, the existence of DMCH is bound to suffer. “Faculty members and students face a great deal of hardship to reach the departments. A prefabricated building, supposed to be set up for aforesaid three departments, is yet to be built,” Kumar added.

Earlier, members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Darbhanga, and DMCH Alumni Association (DMCHAA) had forwarded a memorandum to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to ensure that cabinet approval is granted for the allotment of additional 50 acres of land as promised by the latter during his visit to DMCH on December 16, 2021.

The members of IMA and DMCHAA, under the banner of ‘AIIMS Banao, DMCH Bachao’ requested the CM to rehabilitate DMCH, which had been left with only 27 acres for its rehabilitation.

The CM, responding to their request, announced that out of 200 acres of land meant for the construction of AIIMS, only 150 acres will be spared for the purpose while the remaining 50 acres of the land parcel will be allotted to DMCH for its development and expansion.

Out of the total of 227 acres of available land in possession of DMCH, the latter would be granted 77 acres, the CM added.