MMCH feels the jitters as admission season is back

Daltonganj: For the Medinirai Medical College Hospital (MMCH), which was not allowed to admit any students in its second session in 2020-21 due to faculty crunch, every admission season is a new challenge. The medical college hospital started functioning in 2019. Ahead of every admission session, the medical assessment and rating board (MARB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) asks for written affidavits about the strength of faculties working in the state medical colleges.The new session 2023 -24 is to begin in the medical colleges and the MARB wants to ensure the government medical colleges have adequate faculties.The additional chief secretary, health, Arun Kr Singh, said, "An undertaking in this regard about the Medinirai medical college hospital has been submitted to the NMC. We have said all deficiencies pointed out previously by the commission would be overcome.” It's the state health department that furnishes the undertaking for faculties working in its medical colleges based on the reports submitted to the department by the colleges.Principal in-charge of the MMCH, Daltonganj, Dharmender Kumar said, "The MARB asks for it prior to the admission every year. It's a very mandatory thing and MMCH Daltonganj is no exception."The state health department has sent the undertaking to the MARB of the NMC this week.The MMCH Daltonganj has an intake capacity of 100 students in its first year course of the MBBS. There are 18 sanctioned posts of professors here in this medical college, of which 12 are vacant, said Atul Prakash, a faculty at the medical facility. Similarly for associate professor 29 posts are sanctioned. Here 22 posts are vacant, added Prakash.It is almost half in the case of the assistant professor where against the 43 sanctioned posts, only 20 are working. The number of the vacant posts of the assistant professor is 23, said Prakash.Principal in-charge of the MMCH Daltonganj, Dr Dharmender Kumar, said, "We know we have shortage of faculties. However, we are working with our available human resources."The state government appoints associate professor and professor on contract. It is for one year. It is Rs 30 lakh per annum for professor and Rs 24 lakh per annum for associate professor.However, despite the handsome pay, no faculty wants to work there. The principal in-charge of the MMCH said, "The major reason why not many are interested to come here despite the pay offer is because it’s a contractual job and for one year."“There is a logjam to promotion. There are more than a dozen associate professors in the medical colleges in the state here whose promotion to professorship is over due. Similarly, there are a good number of assistant professors who are waiting for long to be promoted to associate professor," he said.