SMS medical college Tropical medicine faculty, students protest over alleged violation of NMC norms
SMS Medical College
Jaipur: The faculty and students of the Tropical Medicine Department at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Medical College are protesting against the institute, alleging that the National Medical Commission (NMC) rules are being ignored and the department's own professors are being sidelined in studies, exams, and thesis work.
Even though the Department has approval from both the NMC and the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences (RUHS), disagreements reportedly arose last month during the practical exams for postgraduate students.
As per the rules, the University appoints external examiners for the practical exams. However, allegedly, the SMS college administration reportedly nominated a professor from the General Medicine Department instead of a faculty member from the Tropical Medicine Department, angering staff and students.
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Bhaskar has reported that after this instance, guides are also being appointed from the General Medicine Department for thesis and other work, effectively disregarding NMC guidelines not only until the examination, but also after the examination.
Meanwhile, justifying the decision, the Principal and the Additional Principal of SMS Medical College said that the Professors appointed in the Tropical Department are not qualified according to the guidelines by the Apex Medical Commission.
Commenting on the matter, the Principal of SMS Medical College, Dr. Deepak Maheshwari and the Additional Principal (Administration) Dr. Monika Jain, said that both the professors currently appointed in the Tropical Medicine Department are not eligible for becoming examiners and guides according to NMC rules.
They pointed out that both of these professors have come from the Microbiology Department and they do not have 3 years of clinical experience. Without clinical experience, they cannot be made examiners and guides. Due to this, Dr. Meena from the General Medicine Department has been made an examiner and guide.
Meanwhile, the HoD of the Tropical Medicine Department, Dr. Jain, told Bhaskar, "If there has been any change in NMC guidelines recently, I am not aware of it. But I have been a guide before and have supervised students' theses. We are qualified for both examiner and guide."
Regarding the eligibility of appointment of faculty in these departments, the Additional Principal of SMS Medical College said that NMC considered only those who had come from the General Medicine Department as eligible to join this department. If no professor comes from the General Medicine, then a professor from the Microbiology Department (who lack three years of clinical experience) can also be appointed here.
