HYDERABAD: Is medical education in Telangana not on par with expected standards? The question gains importance as the medical colleges in State, both government and private, have ignored to participate in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) for medical colleges conducted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for the second time in a row.
The rankings were released on Monday. As many as 113 colleges across the country offering medical, dental and nursing courses participated in it. However, none of them were from Telangana. In fact, Telangana is the only State in South India that had no representation.
This happened even as the State is home to 27 medical colleges offering MBBS course, 12 dental colleges offering BDS course and 85 colleges offering bachelor nursing degrees which include government-run medical institutions like Osmania, Gandhi, Kakatiya and Rajiv Gandhi Institute. Even the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), a deemed university, did not take part in the NIRF. Apart from these, there are also a few other colleges that offer post-graduation and specialization courses. All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi topped the ranking.
The medical college rankings were based on five parameters — teaching, learning and resources, research and professional practice, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity, and perception.
It may be mentioned here that when it comes to accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), only three private medical colleges from the state have been accredited.