After Six Years, NMC approves 100 MBBS Seats at Dhanbad Medical College

Dhanbad: After long pending wait, Dhanbad based Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) has regained 100 MBBS seats with the approval from the National Medical Commission (NMC) in this regard.

Confirmation in this regard has come from the principal of SNMMCH, Dr Jyotiranjan Prasad who received a mail from the Apex Medical Commission that approved 100 MBBS seats for the academic session 2023-2024.

Although the college had been given permission for 100 MBBS seats back in 2013, the seats were reduced to 50 back in 2017. Now, the college has regained its lost seats and added another 50 MBBS seats to the seat matrix of the State.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that NMC, erstwhile Medical Council of India, had permitted the then PMCH to increase its intake strength from 50 to 100 in 2013-14 on the condition that the state government fills up all the vacant faculty posts within six months. But the posts are yet to be filled even after eight years of the commitment given by the state.

While the posts remained vacant, the institute went on admitting 100 students in 2014, 2015, and 2016. NMC again reduced the intake strength of the institute to 50 in 2017. The NMC team inspected the institute four times in 2015, thrice in 2016, and twice each in 2017, 2018, and 2019. It warned the institute of derecognition on every inspection visit but the vacant posts of faculty were not filled up so far.

Also Read: NMC inspects Dhanbad Medical College for 100 MBBS Seats

Back in 2021 NMC had threatened to derecognize the medical college owing to the non-compliance by the college administration to its earlier directives. Currently, the State-owned medical college has permission for only 50 MBBS seats. Meanwhile, back in 2019 three new medical colleges of the State Government- Dumka, Hazaribagh, and Palamu were opened in 2019 and they have NMC permission for 100 MBBS seats.

As per the latest media report by Lagatar 24, NMC has given its permission for 100 MBBS seats in the medical college and after six years the college has regained its lost seats. The NMC permission has been given for the academic sessions 2023-2024.

Speaking about this, the Principal of the medical college Dr Jyotiranjan Prasad told the daily, “The credit goes to dedicated teachers, staff, and state government for regaining 100 MBBS seats permission. Now immediately, I would launch all efforts for permission for postgraduate (PG) course in the institution from NMC.”

Although the college still has does not have adequate faculty in the departments including eye, skin, anaesthesia, gynaecology, physiology, biochemistry, paediatrics, FMT, PSM and others. These departments are operating without any professor. The process of filling up the vacant seats is currently ongoing and it would be completed soon.

Also Read: Failure to fill vacant faculty posts: NMC threatens to derecognize Dhanbad Medical College