Govt expects admission nod to H’bag, Palamu med colleges

Ranchi: After the National Medical Council (NMC) approved the admission of 100 students at the Phulo Jhano Medical College in Dumka for the 2021-22 academic session, the state government is now hopeful of getting similar approval for the other two newly-launched medical colleges in Palamu and Hazaribag.
Health department officials said they have started fulfilling academic as well as infrastructural requirements for NMC’s recognition.
Talking to TOI, additional chief secretary (health) Arun Kumar Singh said, “We are happy with NMC’s approval to allow admission to 100 medical seats at the Phulo Jhano Medical College in Dumka. We are hopeful that we will get the nod for admission at our two new medical colleges at Palamu and Hazaribag.”
On the shortcomings which led NMC to halt admissions since last year, the additional secretary of the state health department, Alok Trivedi, said, “All infrastructural shortcomings which were highlighted by the NMC assessment team have been almost fulfilled. Currently, 98% of the total infrastructural work at the Hazaribag college and 96% at the Palamu college have been completed. We only have to fulfil the academic shortcomings and we are already working to sort that out on a war footing.”
He further said, “We have already advertised positions to recruit assistant professors through the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) a month ago and that is being done on priority. Besides, we have also started recruitment of faculty members, including assistant professors, associate professors and professors for the new medical colleges on a contract basis. The contractual positions have been made lucrative as we have to get them filled up as soon as possible.”
In its advertisements for hiring faculty members, the health department has published an advertisement saying the positions will be filled up on a contract basis for two years and senior residents who are working in the state health services, retired teachers of medical colleges and specialist doctors from state hospitals will be eligible for the posts.
Trivedi said, “We are offering a monthly salary of Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 2 Lakh for the positions of professors and associate professors to fill up the lack of senior faculty members in the new medical colleges. We have also removed the age bar for doctors of the state health services so that they can apply for the positions.”
On the NMC assessment teams’ expected visit to Palamu and Hazaribag colleges for reassessments, Trivedi said inspection of the Hazaribag college has already been completed and the department is awaiting a visit to the Palamu college.
“We have requested NMC for an inspection of the medical college in Palamu and if a team does not visit by October 11, the state health department will submit a report to the regulatory body for the required approval,” he added.
Meanwhile, sources in the health department said retired faculty members have expressed willingness when they were approached to participate in the recruitment process.