The Medical Council of India's sword is again hanging over the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS).

In a recent letter, the MCI has given the IGIMS administration two weeks to reply regarding the anomalies pointed out by the MCI team during its visit on January 28 this year. Else, it would recommend to the ministry of health and family welfare not to allow IGIMS to take admission in its 100-seat MBBS course.

IGIMS director N.R. Biswas said the administration would send the compliance report to the MCI in this regard by April 4.

This is the fifth time in a row that the MCI has pointed out deficiencies regarding its MBBS course at various levels and every time the college administration sends a compliance report to it to get green light.

The MCI had twice recommended to the ministry not to allow the IGIMS to run the 100-seat MBBS course in 2013 and 2014.

It was only after chief minister Nitish Kumar's intervention and an undertaking by then principal secretary and chief secretary to the MCI that it relented and allowed the premier institution to take admission into its 100-seat MBBS course.

IGIMS cannot take admission in its two postgraduate (PG) courses - anatomy and preventive and social medicine - this year following MCI's denial of permission.

On one hand, the MCI allowed IGIMS to take admission in its physiology (two seats), pharmacology (two seats) and forensic medicine (one seat) course and on the other, it denied IGIMS permission to take admission into its anatomy and preventive and social medicine courses.

Sources said this time around, the MCI has pointed out 13.33 per cent deficiency in faculty for the college's MBBS course. Moreover, it has objected to the lack of space in lecture theatre and central library of the college. The MCI team had also raised objections to the promotions given to the present deans and faculty members.

The less number of meetings of the college council also caught the MCI's attention.

IGIMS director Biswas claimed that most of the deficiencies pointed out by MCI were fulfilled. "One of the main deficiencies pointed out by the MCI is deficiency of faculty. When the MCI team visited our college, we had shown them papers regarding seven new appointments of faculty members but the MCI team did not consider the new appointments because the faculty members concerned had not joined the institution then."

"The MCI had also objected to the lack of space in the library. We are shifting our library to a new place after which we won't have space problem in the library. As far as the MCI's objection regarding few promotions at the institute is concerned, we would send papers to prove that promotions were given to the faculty members following the norms."

Talking about the admission into two PG courses - anatomy and preventive and social medicine - Biswas said: "We have re-applied for the MCI's inspection. The MCI team would inspect facilities for the two seats of anatomy and preventive and social medicine PG courses next year. Only after the MCI's approval, we would be able to take admission in both courses."

A senior faculty member of the college, wishing anonymity, said: "It is high time that the health department looks into the functioning of IGIMS. Why does the government need to give an undertaking for the college every time?"