Jharkhand CM urges Centre to allow admission in 3 new medical colleges

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday said that he has requested the Centre to lift the ban on admission of students in three new medical colleges of the state, asserting that the deficiencies in the infrastructure in those institutes will be rectified by December 15.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has asked the authorities of the medical colleges in Hazaribagh, Palamu and Dumka, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, not to admit students in the 2020-21 session as the infrastructure was inadequate in those institutes.

Soren had last month urged the NMC to revoke the ban.

“Further to my previous appeal to #NMC to reconsider decision to stop fresh admission of students in the 3 Medical Colleges of Hazaribagh, Palamu and Dumka, I have spoken to Union Health Minister @drharshvardhan’ji & requested him to take timely consideration for students future,” Soren tweeted.

The chief minister also attached to his post a letter he had written to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on the issue.

“Certain finishing works in the building infrastructure and installation of some equipment and furniture etc could not be completed due to the lockdown.

“I would like to convey that most of the infrastructure deficiencies as pointed out in the online assessment of National Medical Commission have been rectified.

Remaining infrastructure deficiency, if any, will be removed by 15th December, 2020,” the letter read.

After the medical colleges were inaugurated, permission was granted to admit 100 students in each of them and the admission process was completed for the academic year 2019-20, he said.

The admission process for the academic year 2020-21 has started after the NEET examination results were announced, but the NMC had ordered, “on the basis of some infrastructure and faculty deficiencies”, that there will be no fresh admission in the three medical colleges, Soren wrote in the letter written on Wednesday.

“This has sent shock wave among the aspiring students of this poor, backward and tribal state,” the letter read.

Soren said that the state is facing problems in filling up posts of professors and assistant professors as eligible candidates are not willing to work in these backward districts.

The government is amending the recruitment policy to resolve the issue at the earliest, he said.