Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 16: The Health and Medical Education Department is virtually forcibly making the Kathua Medical College functional in order to save its higher-ups from the Medical Council of India's axe.
According to MCI's rules, a medical college with 100 seats needs to have a functional teaching hospital with at least 300 beds, with 60% occupancy at the time of submission of an application to the MCI. The Kathua college doesn't fulfil these rules.
Credible sources said the Kathua college sans the following basic requirements: an operation theatre for orthopaedics, equipment for laparoscopic surgeries, power backup, laboratory for emergency tests, emergency drugs, ICU, NICU, disaster management wards, and instruments for the Primary Health Centres.
Hence, all patients are being referred from there to GMC Jammu, said sources, adding that Health Secretary as well as other officials have not bothered about the MCI rules and are asking concerned authority to make the Kathua college functional ahead of MCI inspection.
Rather than strengthening the staff and equipping the college with advanced equipment, the high ups of the Health department seem busy in constructing new buildings, said sources.
They said that no efforts were being made to provide the basic facilities to the college.
Dr. Shashi Soodan, principal of GMC Kathua, claimed that efforts were being made to improve the functioning of the institute and that it was improving day by day as things will take time to streamline.
She also said that OPDs have been increased due to efforts of the staff, and locals of the district have appreciated the attempts. |