Darbhanga Medical College

Darbhanga, July 5: Inspectors of Medical Council of India (MCI) have arrived at Darbhanga Medical College (DMC) to check the facilities at the institution to make a recommendation to the Union ministry of health for approval of its postgraduate courses.

The MCI inspector, Dr Ashutosh Dey, head of the department of radiology at Calcutta Medical College, reached DMC yesterday and inspected the radiology department.

The other MCI inspector, Dr T.N. Hold of the department of microbiology at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, arrived today. He inspected the microbiology department of DMC.

The MCI inspection would continue till tomorrow.

Dey today assessed the infrastructure of the department, including machines and equipment, faculty members, space for conducting seminars and the library.

Sanjay Jha, a faculty member of the radiology department, said: “Dey inspected the working condition of various equipment and machines, including the X-ray machine, digital X-ray, CT scan machine, OPG and MRI. He found everything in working condition. Apart from equipment and machine, he also inspected the space to conduct seminars, the library and faculty members.”

Jha added that about one-and-half years ago MCI inspectors had inspected the radiology department. However, during that time, the department lacked the MRI facility, which was vital to get an approval for postgraduate departments in DMC.

DMC offers postgraduate studies in various streams including radiology and microbiology.

The college has the approval of running the courses from the Bihar government but the college is striving to get an MCI recommendation to the ministry of health for an approval of the courses.

Since the inception of the postgraduate departments of radiology in 1960 and microbiology in 1980, DMC is trying hard to get an approval from the Government of India. Only three students take admission in each postgraduate department every year.

DMC principal S.N. Sinha said: “Only meritorious students get admission here but their career remains confined to Bihar. This is because the college does not have the approval of the Union health ministry. If the college gets the approval, the students would get jobs anywhere in the country.”

He added: “If the MCI inspectors are satisfied with the management and the infrastructure they will recommend it to the Union ministry of health for approval of the courses. Once the college gets the approval, it will be a boon for the students.”

Expressing satisfaction over the inspection at the radiology department of DMC, Sinha said the college has everything according to MCI norms and it is expecting a recommendation for the approval soon.

S.P. Mahato, the head of the department of microbiology at DMC, said the inspection was going on smoothly and it would continue till tomorrow.

“It is, too, early to comment on anything,” Mahato said.

MCI recently gave its nod to Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna to start MBBS course. It would be the third medical college in the state capital and the seventh in the state to offer the MBBS course.