Hyderabad: Private medical colleges are not holding anatomy classes as there aren’t sufficient cadavers. Students are forced to rely on books for learning. This is the case across private medical colleges, junior doctors alleged.
They have urged the state health department to strictly look into functioning of private medical colleges where students are not getting desired training.
All first-year MBBS students have to dissect human cadavers during anatomy classes.
“As dissection classes had not been held, a high number of students failed in the subject,” Telangana state Junior Doctors Association chairman P.S. Vijayender said.
“With no bodies to dissect, the practical experience was not as required. Also, many have not understood the position of organs. For that, one needs to witness dissection during which different organs are cut and their insides studied. Students will not be able to understand the subject thoroughly till this procedure is carried out properly.”
When students demanded conduct of dissection classes, they were allegedly threatened by the college management, said the association members. Also, parents were allegedly terrorised by the management. They were told not to spread word about absence of dissection classes if they did not want their wards to fail in the exams.
“For every year, a college needs at least eight bodies for students to dissect and practice on it,” said a senior forensic department doctor at Osmania General Hospital. “The Osmania and Gandhi hospital mortuaries get more than enough bodies to provide to private colleges. Earlier, they were many instances when dead bodies were illegally sold by doctors and other staff. Many were punished for this type of corruption for which the court ordered them not to sell bodies. Subsequently, there was a shortage of dead bodies in private colleges.
Though there are 3D models, where dissection can be practiced, it is a costly affair and none of the medical colleges in Telangana State have it. They are medico-legal codes in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, clearly laying guidelines about post mortem, but in TS we don’t have such codes. It is high time we lay such codes. In Jeevandan also, the organs were donated at private hospitals. Actually, post-mortems should be done in private hospitals.”
The association members also alleged that medical colleges were not paying stipends to students.
