VIJAYAWADA/NELLORE:AC Subba Reddy Government Medical College in Nellore faces the prospect of losing all its 150 seats this academic year. Reason: It has failed to comply with the norms of the Medical Council of India (MCI). The MCI, apart from this college, has cancelled a good number of seats in other government medical colleges as well. The authorities, however, say they have no information on cancellation of seats in other colleges.
Vice-chancellor of NTR Health University Dr T Ravi Raju says the MCI listed 25 shortcomings in the AC Subba Reddy College during its inspection recently and announced cancellation of all the 150 seats. The MCI team took a serious view of the inadequacies in the college infrastructure which include non-filling of 25 professors and 45 assistant professors’ posts which have been lying vacant for quite some time. “We are discussing the issue with the medical education department. We hope to persuade the MCI reconsider its decision,” the Vice-chancellor said.
At present, there are over 5,500 seats in all the medical colleges across the State including private colleges and over 3,700 seats have been allotted under the free seats category. Almost 1,700 free seats are in government colleges and other 1800 free seats are in private colleges. The reduction of seats by the MCI would affect the free seat quota and consequently, the students. Shortage of professors, associate professors, assistant professors and other staff members, including nurses, lack of equipment for special investigations, are some of the major considerations for the cancellation of seats.
In 2014, the MCI gave notices to some government and private medical colleges, cancelling 350 seats. But by the time of admissions, the MCI had restored all the seats and as a bonus, granted 100 more. The same sequence of events followed in the following year, when the State colleges received a 500-seat booast.
The State health department officials are confident of convincing the MCI to reconsider its decision and restore all the seats that have been cancelled and if possible, add more number of seats. Director of Medical Education of AP, Dr V Subbarao, said, “We are in talks with the MCI. We are providing clarifications on the shortcomings listed by it. We are confident that the MCI would be sympathetic to government colleges. Also, we assure the students not to panic. By the time the next academic year begins, the State will get not only the seats that had been cancelled but also more in NRI medical college, Visakhapatnam.”