BIDAR: The Medical Council of India (MCI) has recommended to the Centre to reject the State Government's application for establishment of a medical college in Bidar because of a lack of staff and infrastructure.

In a letter to the Union Health Secretary, the MCI Secretary, A.R.N. Setalvad, has said that a team of inspectors found 18 major deficiencies, besides minor problems, during an inspection on May 30 and 31. Officials of the MCI and members of an ad-hoc committee of the Supreme Court, which considered the inspection report, decided to recommend to the Union Government to reject the application.

Dr. Setalvad's letter dated June 15 pointed out the deficiencies in the building of the Bidar District Hospital, which is to be attached to the proposed medical college. It said no teachers have been appointed for the clinical departments.

According to the team of inspectors, another difficulty in approving the application is the small number of patients seeking treatment at the district hospital. It questioned the claim of the authorities of the hospital that 1,500 persons are treated at the hospital as outpatients on a daily basis. It said that the number of X-rays done is only 25 on an average, although on the day of the inspection it was 40. The claim that all the 400 beds in the hospital are being used has also been questioned.

The team found that construction of the proposed college building has not commenced. The Dean works from a "small room with minimum furniture." "He apparently has no administrative staff," the team said.

It said pre-clinical and post-clinical departments are yet to be formed. "Three large halls, which are proposed to be developed into lecture halls, are not built according to norms. There are no blackboards, fans or audio-visual aids," the team said.

It pointed out that hostels for students are not ready. "The outpatient registration department is not computerised. There are no laboratories, no audiometry rooms and no clinical demonstration area," the inspection report said.

The team said there are no facilities in the casualty department. Clinical laboratories are not supervised by postgraduate medical officers.

There are no separate laboratories for physiology, biochemistry and microbiology departments. Permanent employees for the central sterilisation unit are yet to be appointed, the team said.

The Centre has asked the State to respond to the observations of the team of inspectors.

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