DMER floats tenders for gadgets to save GMCs’ seats

NAGPUR: The Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) has floated tenders for purchase of blood component separation units for 7-8 government medical colleges (GMCs) in the state. GMC Yavatmal and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College (IGGMC) in city are also part of these colleges. The equipment which are required for seeking recognition of Medical Council of India for PG seats in almost all departments will be there for these colleges in another two months.
“It is not true that Yavatmal GMC would lose postgraduate (PG) seats due to non-availability of separation units. Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) is wrongly saying that the PG seats in the college in pathology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and ophthalmology were lost last year due to non-availability of separation units. PG seats in these departments are approved but are in the process of recognition,” said Dr Pravin Shingare, chief of DMER.
The director says that DMER didn’t procure the equipment for IGGMC and GMC Yavatmal because they were to be given to all GMCs under a national project. But once this did not happen and DMER knew about it has started the process of procuring the equipment. “My priority is first to ensure that already recognized seats are not lost for any reason in any college in state. Secondly, I also want to go step by step. There are subjects like orthopaedics which need recognition in all colleges. I plan to get the subject recognized for PG for all 15 colleges by 2020,” Dr Shingare said.
However, MARD is not buying the argument by DMER director so easily. The central MARD president from Mumbai Dr Sagar Mundhada says that he doubts the intentions of DMER. “GMCs in the state are two decades behind in technology. Whole blood is not given to any patient at all except in a few basic cases. Yavatmal or for that matter every GMC gets a huge number of dengue cases. They require platelets transfusion. But poor tribal people also have to purchase this 1,400 from private players,” he said.
Yavatmal MARD president Ketan Asawale said that the college did not apply for MCI inspection this year as yet as it did not want to waste the 2 lakh per subject fees that needs to be paid to MCI for conducting inspection. “When colleges are so considerate why cannot DMER also think the same way,” he asked.