The health department has decided to recruit teachers at Patna Dental College and Hospital (PDCH) following a conditional permission from Dental Council of India to admit students.

The department convened a review meeting in this matter on Monday and decided to prepare a proposal for strengthening the institution. The dental council had given conditional permission to admit 40 students to PDCH in June-end.

There are only seven permanent teachers at the PDCH against 51 posts. Fourteen teachers were appointed on a one-year contract in August 2011.

“During the review meeting it emerged that there are serious lacunae at the college in terms of faculty and infrastructure. The Dental Council of India (DCI) has allowed us to admit 40 students to the institution this year, but the consent is conditional. The vacant seats of teachers have to be filled at the earliest,” said a senior health department officer.

The PDCH in-charge principal, Dr N.P. Yadav, said the institution had only three teachers in the rank of professors. Yadav, also the Patna Medical College and Hospital principal, said: “The department is preparing a proposal to appoint faculty members in the rank of professors, readers, lecturers and tutors soon. As it will take some time to recruit regular faculty members, ad-hoc teachers will be hired on a temporary basis.”

The dental college’s former principal, Dr D.K. Singh, was removed from the post last year in June following a high court order. A professor had challenged Singh’s appointment as the PDCH principal on the basis of seniority. A final decision in the case is still awaited.

Dr Rajeev Kumar, a senior faculty member at PDCH, said acute shortage of teachers had embarrassed the institution in 2010 when the DCI had derecognised it and students were not admitted to bachelor in dental surgery (BDS) course.

Last year, the DCI had given its nod to the college to admit students in the same course after few teachers, readers and professors were recruited.

Lack of hostels for undergraduate students also came up for discussion at Monday’s review meeting. DCI norms make it mandatory for dental institutions to provide residential facilities to the students. While boys at PDCH stay in private accommodations, the girls are accommodated in hostels meant for MBBS students of the PMCH.

“Principal secretary (health) Vyasji has asked us to finalise the space where hostels can be constructed. We will soon see some plots and decide on it,” Yadav said.