*College admn misses June 22 hearing before NCISM
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, July 9: Government Ayurvedic Medical College (GAMC) Jammu is on the verge of losing even the conditional permission to admit 50 students in BAMS UG course for the academic session 2023-24 as a team of Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) for Indian System of Medicine has pointed out a large number of deficiencies in staff and other infrastructure of the College in its recent visit.
Official sources told Excelsior that to verify the physical and other infrastructure facilities in GAMC Jammu as per the intake capacity of 50 BAMS UG course, a team of Medical Assessment and Rating Board for Indian System of Medicine visited the College on 11th and 12th of May 2023 and assessed the infrastructure and other facilities on the basis of concerned regulations and relaxation policy issued by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicines (NCISM).
The visiting MARB team found that even after many years, GAMC Jammu has availability of only 78.57% staff against the minimum requirement of 80% as per MSR 2016. The team found shortcoming of 5 Resident Medical Officers or Surgical or Medical Officer, 2 Emergency Medical Officers, 3 staff nurses for In Patient Department, 1 House Officer and 1 Panchkarma Nurse.
The team also pointed out that there was no Bio-statistician, no demonstration room, no availability of College website and no Deputy Medical Superintendent, no matron and no office personnel in the associated hospital while there was shortage of 44 species against the minimum requirement of 250 in Herbal Garden and deficiency of 3000 books against the minimum requirement of 10,000 in Central Library of the College.
The visitors also observed that there was no regular full time Principal/Medical Superintendent available in the College/Hospital. They further observed that a Principal has been deputed in the College but she is holding MBBS-MD degree and visit the College very rare.
Sources said that the assessment report of the College made by the visiting team was placed in the 42nd meeting of Medical Assessment and Rating Board for Indian System of Medicine on June 7, 2023 and after examining the report, the Board decided to provide an opportunity of hearing to GAMC Jammu and directed the College authorities to appear before the designated Hearing Committee as appointed by the President of Medical Assessment and Ration Board, NCISM on 22-06-2023 but the College authorities didn’t attend the hearing and lost the chance to present their case.
“In every inspection conducted so far by the MARB, administration of GAMC Jammu faced sharp criticism from the visiting MARB inspectors for shortage of faculty, absence of College website and demonstration room, besides infrastructural deficiencies but the College authorities always adopted non-serious approach towards deficiencies pointed out by the MARB,” sources alleged.
They said that the non-seriousness of the College authorities can be gauged from the fact that a recruitment process (on academic arrangement basis) of Medical Officers initiated on 08-11-2021 is yet to be completed by GAMC Jammu despite the fact that such recruitment processes are supposed to be completed in 2-3 months.
Sources further disclosed that even interviews of the shortlisted candidates for MOs were conducted on 02-12-2022 but even after 7 months of the interviews, the selection list was not issued till date and now, to the surprise of the aspiring candidates of MOs, Department of AYUSH after warning of MARB, issued an order on 28-06-2023 wherein they assigned additional charge of the vacant seats of MOs in GAMC Jammu to MOs already working in Ayush Health and Wellness Centres/Ayush Dispensaries.
“The Department of AYUSH and GAMC Jammu is taking warnings of MARB for granted and are non-serious in removing deficiencies pointed out by MARB Inspectors,” sources said, adding, this non-serious approach may cost the College authorities dearer as MARB may take adverse action in the form of cancellation of even conditional permission of 50 BAMS seats to the College”, sources asserted.
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