Medical college may lose its university affiliation

CHENNAI: Chennai-based Sri Muthukumaran Medical College Hospital and Research Institute is likely to lose the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University affiliation (a mandatory requirement to admit students) following serious infrastructural flaws and inadequate patients in its teaching hospital. The college admits 150 MBBS students every year.
Senior officials at the state medical university said the lock, seal and demolition notice issued by Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority to the group of institutions will affect about seven blocks, including library, hostels and residential quarters for doctors and nurses of the medical college. Seven more buildings of the group have also been named in the notice. The Medical Council of India has made it mandatory for colleges to have libraries and residential quarters for some doctors and nurses.
Earlier this month, the college had applied for affiliation so it can apply for permission to start post-graduate medical courses before the May 31 deadline. “We are looking into the files. No rules will be flouted for affiliation,” said university vice chancellor Dr Sudha Seshayyan.
A bigger concern for the university is the recent inspection reports it received. Though almost 90% of the faculty members were present, the committee said the number of patients in clinical wards was low. In April, on the day of inspection, there was just one patient in the antenatal ward and none in the labour ward, neonatal intensive care unit or the intensive care unit. There was one patient in the cardiac care unit, four in post-operative ward. Medical students also told the inspectors that they did not have adequate clinical material for learning. “In August 2018, a DME inspection team also found the same status,” an official said.
If the university declines admission, the MCI will not permit the college to admit students for the undergraduate programme. “Without 80% bed occupancy we do not give affiliation. We have had medical colleges crumble in the state. We can’t allow that to continue,” said a senior official. Muthukumaran Medical College dean Dr V S Dorairaj said the college was not facing any trouble. “We did get a notice from the CMDA. But we have requested officials to keep the order in abeyance and consider granting us regularisation. We are talking to senior people in the government to sort out the problem,” he said.
CMDA officials said the notices were issued for building violations. “The college has constructed more than a dozen blocks without building permission. Where is the question of regularisation when they don’t have permission to build?” an official said.