The Himachal Pradesh Communist Party of India (Marxist) has asked the government to effectively present its case before the Medical Council of India (MCI) to get the much needed increase in MBBS seats in IGMC Shimla and Dr RP Medical College Tanda, Dharamshala.
Tikender Singh Panwar, CPM senior state leader and deputy Mayor of Shimla MC, in his press communiqué has termed the effort of the government as extremely inept as no serious concern was laid down by the medical department to represent its case before the MCI.
Panwar stated that it was completely dismal that none of the senior officers of the state was present in the MCI meeting at Delhi. Neither the secretary health, nor the director medical education was present in the meeting to muster support and represent the case of two medical colleges for increase in their respective seats. This has been one of the major reasons that the state was not allowed an increase in MBBS seats. The CPM has asked the health minister to personally monitor this issue so that the state gets its legitimate tights as envisaged.
Earlier MCI had refused to grant permission to increase 50 undergraduate seats each in the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH) and the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda in Kangra district. Both premium colleges wanted to increase the seats from 100 to 150.
