Medical colleges to improve infrastructure in Telangana and AP

Hyderabad: The grant of 45 days to private medical colleges has come as a relief for both the states, according to the Private Medical Colleges Association which promised to make the necessary rectifications and submit the proposal for increased seats to the government again.

Dr Bhaskar Rao, president of the association explained, “The objection of infrastructure not being in place is wrong. These colleges are in existence since a decade. How can infrastructure not be in place? The association has clearly pointed out to both the governments that the loss of the private medical college is going to end as a loss for the state.” Of the 450 seats in AP, 250 seats are in general category and of the 200 seats in Telangana 100 seats are in the general category. Hence students are going to suffer.

MCI member Dr Ramesh Reddy said, “The objection about infrastructure is for the 50 extra seats which were added. For the increased seats infrastructure is not in place. Also, the inspectors who go to private colleges are government doctors and if they find that those items listed in their chart are not in place then they will make a note of it and raise objections. The private colleges can’t state that the objections are wrong but on the ground these things are not in place.”

AP minster Dr K, Srinivas who was approached by the AP private colleges said, “The time given by the Centre is going to help. The objections of MCI are going to be adhered to by the colleges and no seats are going to be lost.” Another MCI member said, “Most colleges in TS and AP are owned by politicians or their relatives. Hence there is pressure on the inspector. But as they are government doctors they have to go by the book. In case it is proved that the inspector is at fault than he can be prosecuted.”

The infrastructure problem is existing in private medical colleges as they have not done capacity building for extra students in terms of lecture halls, laboratories, library material, faculty and also hostel facilities.

With 150 students being lectured in one class, the infrastructure for extra 50 students has to be in place for the student to attend to lectures. Another MCI inspector on condition of anonymity explained, “The improper infrastructure and presence of ghost faculty is depriving students of their proper medical education. There is an existing 20 per cent shortage of teaching staff in private medical colleges and there exists another 20 per cent of ghost faculty who are available only during inspections. This is affecting the education of the students.”

List of medical colleges owned by politicians in AP and Telangana
Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences (Belongs to a relative of Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao)
Malla Reddy Medical College; Ch Malla Reddy, TRS MP
Deccan Medical College. Asaduddin Owaisi, MP, Akbaruddin Owaisi, MLA, MIM
Shadan Medical College: Virasat Rasool Khan, former MLA

Medical Colleges in Andhra Pradesh
Narayana Medical College: Dr P. Narayana, TD minister
Mamatha Medical College: P. Ajay Kumar, a politican
Asram Medical College: G. Ganga Raju, MP
Gitam Medical College: M.V.V.S. Murthy,  a former minister