The UCMS-GTB Saga: Delhi Medical College looks for relocation

New Delhi: The University College of Medical Sciences is likely to be relocated as it has requested the Delhi University for allotment of land to construct its own college and hospital building.

As of now, the University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS), which is affiliated with Delhi University, shares the campus with Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital in East Delhi's Dilshad Garden.

Due to limited space on the campus, the college has requested the DU to allot 40 to 50 acres to construct the college and hospital building along with other required infrastructure. The proposal will be tabled before the Executive Council of the university on December 15.

The university has not been able to increase the medical college's undergraduate student intake capacity to 250 and is restricted to 170 because of the crammed condition, it said.

The medical college lacks several facilities such as an MRI machine -- a minimum requirement for MD courses in radiology -- a super-speciality block for starting Doctorate of Medicine and M.Ch courses, a faculty block and hostels. This has caused significant attrition of promising faculty from UCMS, the proposal said.

It added that the quality of patient care and training of MD and MS students is also declining as the operating capacity in various departments is far below the current requirements.

The proposal stated that these problems arise due to the dual administration of the UCMS-GTBH complex.

Since the University College of Medical Sciences is controlled by Delhi University and GTB Hospital by the Delhi government, it poses significant problems and obstacles to the smooth functioning of the medical college.

The UCMS-GTBH complex has a three-tier arrangement -- a campus committee, a coordination committee and an apex committee, which have seldom met in recent years -- to govern the functioning of the medical facilities, the proposal said. ''The UCMS has missed many development deadlines and opportunities and even the basic infrastructural requirements are not met,'' it said.

The medical college has requested Delhi University to intervene in the matter and allocate land to build its facilities. The college plans to increase its bed strength to 1,400, and build teaching rooms, laboratories and other necessary infrastructure apart from residential quarters for staff, hostels for students and multi-level parking for staffers and patients.

The college plans to source funds from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare or the Ministry of Education to undertake the project, the proposal said.