Dumka Medical college students sit on Dharna demanding basic teaching facilities for MBBS course
Ranchi: Demanding the basic requirement including those like a cadaver for anatomy classes and proper medical faculty, the MBBS students at Dumka Medical College (Phulo Jhano Murmu Medical College and Hospital, Dumka) have recently started an indefinite dharna. The medicos have been fearing the quality of education and even degree recognition after the National Medical Commission (NMC) denied permission for admitting the second batch of students citing lack of infrastructure and faculty.
The medical college got operational last year with the admission of 100 MBBS students sanctioned under Phase 1 of a Centrally Sponsored Scheme by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). However, the NMC halted the medical admission process for the year 2020 and directed that there will be no fresh admission due to some infrastructure and faculty deficiencies.
Intervening in the matter, Chief Minister had also moved a letter with the Chairman of NMC to reconsider the decision to stop fresh admission into these three medical colleges of this academic year 2020-21.
Meanwhile, the first batch of MBBS students at Dumka Medical College admitted in 2019 have resorted to agitation over the lack of facilities like faculty, cadaver, laboratory for studying, which has once again raised questions over the facilities and the quality of education in these medical colleges.
The agitated medicos took to Twitter to air their grievance. One of the protestors tweeted saying, "This lack of facilities and faculties has not only affected the current students of dumka medical college but also the current 2020 neet aspirants who are demanding the lifting of medical seats since long."
A student of the medical college, requesting anonymity told Telegraph India, "Let alone learning anatomy, we are yet to see a cadaver and have also no clinical exposure of any kind till now."
Putting an emphasis on the necessity of basic facilities for studying medicine, a faculty of the college added, "How can they study physiology and biochemistry if they don't have access to a cadaver and a laboratory?" He further said that these are the bare minimum requirements for students pursuing their MBBS degrees.
Dr. Ajit Kumar, joint secretary of the Ranchi branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), expressed his disappointment over Jharkhand losing 300 MBBS seats and stated, "It's really a sad state of affair and we have almost lost 300 medical seats in the state."
Mentioning that both State and Union Government have to work together to make these colleges functional Dr. Kumar stated, "The issue will be taken up for discussion when the executive committee of the state IMA meets on Sunday."
He also informed the daily that they would visit the CM and Governor to discuss the matter and would approach the Union Government as well through the elected MPs of the area.
"The state has 14 MPs and we will approach them through our IMA branches in the districts so that they take up the issue with the Union government," he said.
Meanwhile, MP Sunil Soren has assured the students regarding the same and has promised to inform the Union Government about the problems faced by the medical students of Dumka to pursue their education.
As per a recent UNI report, Soren stated that he would also inform the Union Health Minister regarding the various problems being faced by the hospital which was set up to provide better healthcare facilities to the people of Santhal Pargana by the previous BJP government.
He added that despite Dumka being the workplace of JMM supremo Shibu Soren, his son and Chief Minister Hemant Soren the medical college which was set for the well being of the area lacks facilities of laboratories and faculties.
He also called the executive engineer of the building construction department on the spot and collected information regarding lab construction and other issues.
