Poor infra ails new medical colleges across Telangana

Hyderabad: The newly formed medical colleges are facing the problem of lack of proper infrastructure in the new medical colleges established in the State as the students in the Government Medical College at Asifabad protested, demanding faculty in their colleges. The doctors questioned the absence of wings like gynaecology, ophthalmology, and dermatology, even after three months of the start of the academic year. The doctors pointed out that this was the situation in the majority of the medical colleges established in the State. The doctors who protested for the faculty for the last two days approached the District Collector with a memorandum to provide necessary basic infrastructure. The students expressed that they were encountering numerous challenges in their colleges. They highlighted issues such as a lack of adequate faculty, including professors, assistant professors, associate professors, and Heads of Departments (HODs). Additionally, they noted the absence of qualified lab technicians, the irregularity of classes, and insufficient laboratory equipment needed for practical sessions.

The students further said that since they have completed three months of their academic year, they still did not receive at least one cadaver (a minimum of eight cadavers are required as per NMC guidelines). They also alleged that there was no doctor, no power equipment, and even proper facilities were not available. “Without practical knowledge, there is no use of an MBBS degree,” said the representation given to the Collector. They also mentioned that after the end of the tenure, the PGs and senior residents would also leave the college. The experts, however, said that the situation was not just limited to one college but most of the colleges in the State. They said that there was no need for more medical colleges and that there were enough doctors in the State. As per the WHO recommendation, there should be one doctor for 1,000 people, but there is one doctor for 680 people. A senior doctor said that the previous government deteriorated the medical education for the sake of vote bank politics, though they resisted openly at so many platforms that the State had already exceeded doctor: population as per requirements of WHO norms. “Our concerns have not yet reached the highest authority, and the situation has now escalated beyond what the new government can easily resolve, even though they are working diligently to improve infrastructure and faculty. At least now also this government is having time to streamline medical education by not establishing government and private medical colleges further in the State,” said the senior doctor.

The doctors said that NMC had become a political platform rather than an autonomous body. “Someone should control NMC, which was liberally giving permissions to all who applied for permission by relaxing all norms and regulations. Most of the body is filled by political leaders rather than intellectuals, who have the know-how of the system,” he added.