Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College gets final approval from NMC, MBBS admissions to commence from this year

Pune: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has granted its final approval for Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College. With the nod, MBBS admissions for 100 seats at the medical college will be started from this year.

NMC also gave permission to start classes of the first MBBS batch in the new medical college on a condition that the civic administration and state government agree to an undertaking.

This will make Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), one of the few civic bodies to have their own medical college. "The NMC has given its nod to the medical college of PMC. To start with, 100 students will be given admission in this college in December this year," said Mayor Murlidhar Mohol.

On August 28, 2019, the General Assembly approved the medical college for the first time. The state government approved the foundation of a medical trust on May 26, and the medical trust was registered on August 13, the following year.

The Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, approved affiliations on November 28, 2020, and the college received final approval two years later. The approval comes at a crucial time as any further delay would have pushed the admissions for the next academic year.

In a recent meeting, Mayor Murlidhar Mohol, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandvi, and Minister of State for Health Bharti Pawar discussed the final approval of the medical college.

"The moment of getting final approval of a medical college is as important for the city of Pune as it is for pride. It is a heartfelt satisfaction to have been able to play a role in the various stages from the concept of this medical college to the direct final approval," he said.

According to a civic health officer, it is expected that the civic body will spend Rs. 100 crore per year on the college and the lectures for the students would presently be done in Sanas school and practicals would be conducted at Kamla Nehru Hospital. The PMC will soon develop a separate building of medical college on the premises of Naidu hospital.

Ravindra Binwade, additional commissioner, PMC told HT, "It is a proud moment for the PMC and we have certain formalities to fulfill, like acknowledging the letter of intent and also an undertaking from the commissioner stating that the civic body would fulfill the requirements and deficiencies of medical college as per the National Medical Commission."

As per a recent media report in The Indian Express, the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) has communicated that the NMC has decided to obtain an undertaking for issue of letter of permission to start the course in this academic year.

"The applicant should provide all infrastructural facilities in terms of teaching and non-teaching staff, building, equipment and hospital facilities as per NMC norms. The applicant should also give an undertaking from the department of medical education or health secretary of state government to fulfil the requirements and deficiencies of the medical college if it arises in future. The undertaking from the commission of PMC on the deficiencies with the same lines should also be supported by the state health secretary and state government," it said.