Uncertainty over fate of SMVDIME as deficiencies detected
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Jan 2: Amid razing controversy over MBBS admissions in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi College of Medical Excellence, a special team of National Medical Commission (erstwhile Medical Council of India) today conducted surprise inspection of the Medical College and Narayana Super-speciality Hospital, Kakryal.
Highly placed sources told the Excelsior that the NMC team thoroughly inspected the infrastructure of Medical College as well as the Narayana Hospital and purportedly detected several deficiencies there.
The NMC team visited administrative blocks, class rooms, laboratories, hostel, hospital wards, Operation Theatres, Out Patient Department and other units, sources said.
Besides conducting inspection, the visiting team also did videography/photography of the infrastructure and documented the records, sources added.
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The four-member NMC team, headed by Dr Amlendu Yadav and comprising of Dr Vandana Mehta, Shailesh Kumar and a Senior Professor of Forensic Science, remained at the hospital cum college premises for more than seven hours till 5 pm.
The unusual snap inspection left everyone surprised and confused as there was no prior intimation to the college as well hospital authorities about visit of the NMC team.
According to the sources, the visiting NMC team detected a number of deficiencies in infrastructure and facilities in running a medical college, thus hinting to some adverse decision over the fate of newly opened SMVD Institute of Medical Excellence, which has been in the centre of controversy over MBBS admissions to the students of a particular faith.
Sources claimed that the NMC members were not satisfied with the available infrastructure and had an apparent observation that the gaps were required to be filled before running MBBS course by the SMVD Institute of Medical Excellence.
While elaborating, sources said that inspecting team pointed towards no separate wards for female patients in the hospital. As the concerned authorities sought to explain that the hospital was in transitional phase, the NMC members quipped that there should not have been a hurry in securing permission for medical college.
Further, most of the faculty members were not present in the college during the surprise inspection because of ongoing winter vacations. However, sources said, official order for the winter vacations was not uploaded on NMC website and the inspecting team took serious notice of the same.
The visiting team will soon submit its observations to the National Medical Commission for further action and if the sources are to be believed, the Union Ministry of Health and Medical Education has almost made up its mind for scrapping the permission granted to SMVD Institute of Medical Excellence.
Pertinent to mention that RSS backed Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Sangharsh Samiti is spearheading an agitation against admission of non-Hindu students in the SMVDIME, which is funded by Shri Mata Vaishnio Devi Shrine Board.
The Sangharsh Samiti is demanding that only Hindu students should be given admission in the SMVDIME and if the same was not possible, the college may be permanently closed.
Annoyed over delay in decision over its demands, the Sangharsh Samiti has asked the BJP MLA to completely boycott the official programmes of Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also Chairman of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
Two days back, a closed door meeting was convened between top leaders of the Sangharsh Samiti and J&K BJP wherein a clear warning was issued for further escalating the ongoing agitation.
In the meeting, sources said that J&K BJP president Sat Sharma and General Secretary (Organization) Ashok Koul were conveyed in clear terms that if no immediate and favourable decision is taken over the issue, the Sangharsh Samiti would not hesitate to protest against Union Health Minister and BJP National president J P Nadda.
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