CPS Mumbai moves HC challenging state govt decision of barring admissions

Mumbai: Amidst the decision of the Maharashtra State Medical Education Department of halting the admission process for CPS courses, the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS) has now approached the Bombay High Court bench and filed a plea in this regard seeking restarting of the admission process.

Meanwhile, CPS skipped the second hearing on March 24 i.e Friday where the State Medical Education Secretary Dr. Ashwini Joshi had called them seeking their response regarding the matter.

“We had called them for a hearing but none of them appeared and has approached the Bombay High Court regarding anomalies found during an inspection conducted in hospitals officering CPS-affiliated courses,” Dr. Joshi told FPJ.

Established back in 1912, CPS Mumbai is an autonomous body that imparts Postgraduate medical education and offers fellowship, diploma and certificate courses for the medical professionals. For the Diploma courses, the tenure is of two years and in case of Fellowship, the tenure is three years. After obtaining the qualification granted by CPS Mumbai, the practitioners become allowed to register themselves as specialists in the concerned specialty.

The controversy regarding CPS admissions in Maharashtra commenced after referring to significant gaps in the standards of institutes offering College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS) affiliated courses, the medical education department of Maharashtra recently wrote to the Union Health Ministry asking for its opinion on whether counselling can be conducted for around 1,100 CPS seats.

Writing to the Centre, the department referred to the inspection of the Maharashtra Medical Council conducted last year and how during the inspection, MMC had found "severe deficiencies" in several institutes.

Recently Union Minister Nitin Gadkari supported the Association of CPS Affiliated Institutes and writing to the State Secretary, Gadkari criticized the medical education secretary Dr Ashwini Joshi.

Also Read: Institutes offering CPS courses lack adequate standards: Maharashtra Medical Education Department to Centre

The Union Minister called for intervention of State Chief Secretary and pointed out that in case of any further delays in the admission process of 2022, the association has expressed fear that the State could lose altogether 1,100 CPS seats.

Despite the letter of the Union Minister, the State Medical Education Department did not change its decision and sent a show-cause notice to the CPS management and demanded an explanation regarding the deficiencies found in its affiliated institutes within March 21.

The Medical Education Department reiterated the findings of the inspection of 120 CPS institutes and pointed out that two of them were closed and 73 refused to be inspected. In case of the remaining 45 institutes, most of them had been found to be lacking in respect of teaching staff and beds.

"Under Section 28 (2) of the Maharashtra Medical Council Act, 1965, the government is empowered to curtail the courses..," stated the letter by Dr. Joshi. She further mentioned that CPS collects an affiliation cost from the affiliated institutes and the details regarding the same should be made available to the government.

As per the latest media report by the Free Press Journal, the Registrar of CPS Dr. Rajesh Darade attended the hearing on March 21, in which Dr. Joshi sought an explanation from CPS regarding the alleged anomalies detected at the institutes offering the courses.

“We have answered or replied to all questions raised by the department in the hearing. However, they have raised new queries to which we have been given a next hearing, which is on March 24,” added Dr. Darade.

The daily adds that Dr. Joshi got the support of Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The next hearing of the matter was on March 24. However, CPS skipped the next hearing scheduled on Friday and has now approached the Bombay HC seeking restarting of the admission process, halted by the State.

Commenting on this, Registrar CPS Dr. Rajesh Darade told Free Press Journal, “We are requesting the government through the HC to start the admission process as students are suffering.”

Meanwhile, Union Minister Gadkari, who had earlier criticized State Medical Education Secretary Dr. Ashwini Joshi, recently released a statement on Thursday and clarified that he had not sought the transfer of any official.

 “As public representatives, it is our utmost duty to raise issues of public importance with different authorities and (I) have been doing so in my long political career,” he mentioned.

Referring to a media report, he further added, "My letter on the subject matter to the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary has served the exact purpose. Nothing can be further away from the truth that I had recommended the transfer of an officer concerned in the Medical Education department. It is also equally laughable to suggest that my family has some personal interest in the matter.”

Also Read: Maharashtra could lose 1,100 CPS seats, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Expresses Concern