GSVM suffers as focus is on Saifai

THE Medical Council of India (MCI) recognition to Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi Medical (GSVM) College has not been renewed for ten years. But the state government, instead of helping this premier institute, is busy in establishing the Rural Institute of Medical Sciences, the adopted baby of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, in Saifai.

THE Medical Council of India (MCI) recognition to Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi Medical (GSVM) College has not been renewed for ten years. But the state government, instead of helping this premier institute, is busy in establishing the Rural Institute of Medical Sciences, the adopted baby of Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, in Saifai.

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After the top eight HoDs were given marching orders, the authorities are planning to shift some costly machines and heads of some non-clinical departments to Saifai institute.

They are making efforts to equip the Saifai institute with the latest machines and provide it with highly qualified doctors so that the institute can get recognition from the Medical Council of India (MCI). A team of MCI is set to visit the institute to decide its fate in May.

The developments unexpected to the medical fraternity has put the doctors in a fix, and they are planning to move court. Two of the eight HoDs, who were asked to join the Saifai institute, opted for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS).
One of the HoDs Dr RK Shrivastava of anatomy and Dr AK Shrivastava of forensic applied for VRS after they were transferred to Saifai.

Now, Dr SHS Zaidi and Dr PK Singh of pathology have been asked to go to Saifi. Besides, some brand new machines, such as flit lamp, microscopes and operating microscopes have been transferred from ENT and opthalmology departments of the LLR hospital, one of seven hospitals controlled by GSVMC. The machines are not available in any of the government hospitals in the city.

These machines were despatched to Saifai on the pretext that they will be returned once the MCI inspection was over. “Several other machines are already on way to Saifai. The question is if these are not returned what will the GSVMC authorities are going to show to save the MCI recognition?” asks a senior doctor. “Already,” he said, “the GSVM medical college hardly conforms with the MCI norms and shifting of machines and manpower will impede the recognition renewal.

Needless to say, the MCI inspection has not taken place during last ten years on one reason or the other. But certain developments have bolstered chances of an inspection that may overlap with that of Saifai institute.

On the other, the HoDs —-- Dr BD Mangal (medicine), Dr Kiran Pandey (gynaecology), Dr VN Tripathi (pediatrics), Dr RK singh (ENT), Dr Anand Swaroop (orthopaedics), Dr VS Tewari (surgery), Dr SK Sachan (opthalmology) and Dr RP Mehta (anaethesia) —-- have complied with the government instructions.

All of them were recently served with notices by Secretary (medical education ) Prashant Trivedi to work minimum twice a week at Saifai. Now the government has targetted teachers of non-clinical departments such as physiology, bio-chemistry and pharmology to fill up 22 vacancies at Saifai institute. “The doctors are unwilling to join Saifai even after hike in pay-scales and increased period of superannuation,” said another doctor.

At present, the Saifai institute is being run by PMS doctors with a PG degree
as all nine doctors turned down the job offers. As a result, the government is picking up doctors from state medical colleges but the move is likely to be countered now.

A majority of doctors being approached have either gone on long leave or planning to take the battle to the court.