The National Medical Commission (NMC) has declined approval for the new Government Medical College in Konni, Pathanamthitta, Kerala as the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of NMC found deficiencies in its infrastructure facilities.
According to the report of MARB, there is a deficiency of faculty, residents and buildings and infrastructure in Konni Medical College. The letter sent by the NMC to the college principal said that due to the above deficiencies, the MARB has deliberated on the available information and is constrained not to grant a letter of intent for starting a medical college with 100 MBBS seats for the academic year 2022-23, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
The letter of the NMC stated, "The college building is ready, but there is no infrastructure, including furniture and equipment for lecture theatres, library and laboratories. Laboratory facilities in anatomy, physiology and biochemistry are not available. Equipment, furniture and audio-visual facilities are not available. Laboratories and lecture theatres are not satisfactory. There are no lecture theatres, no demonstration rooms, and no laboratories. Faculty deficiency is 44 per cent. Resident deficiency is found to be 44.7 per cent. Hostels for students, resident doctors, nurses and staff quarters have not been constructed."
It went on to state that, "Central library is ready but lacks furniture. Books and computer terminals are not available. Medical journals are not available in the hospital. The hospital has 294 beds against the requirement of 330 to start a medical college. There are only 10 beds available in the casualty wing. Beds are deficient in different departments including orthopaedics and gynaecology. Life-saving equipment like central suction, central oxygen unit, pulse oximeter, crash cart, ambu bag are not available. Three minor operation theatres are available against the requirement of five. There is no dressing room and plaster cutting room in the department of orthopaedics."
The letter received in the college on June 25 said that the college may rectify the deficiencies and inform MARB within 15 days and submit a fresh application for recognition.
