Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (below) and the college on Bhootnath Road. Telegraph pictures

Nalanda Medical College, functioning from a separate campus near Bhootnath Road, would now be shifted to the main campus of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital.

Principal secretary, health, Deepak Kumar, said the decision was taken to help increase the number of MBBS seats of the college from 100 to 250.

“According to the Medical Council of India (MCI) norms, a medical college with 200 to 250 seats should run from the hospital campus. We have decided to shift the college to the hospital campus to increase the MBBS seats from 100 to 250. However, the process would take some time,” Kumar said.

Geeta Singh, the principal of Nalanda Medical College, said it was difficult to run the college and the hospital from different campuses. “Teachers and students have to race against time. It becomes difficult for the students to attend theory classes at the college and practical classes at the hospital. The distance between the college and the hospital is around 3km. The decision is in favour of the students,” Singh said.

Singh said she had received a circular from the health department last month (October) regarding this matter. According to the plan, the health department would prepare a detailed project report with assistance of Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited, a wing of the department. The report would be presented before the teachers and the students and only after their approval, would it be finalised. After the detailed project report is completed, a firm would be selected through tender to carry out the construction work.

Singh said: “I am happy that the senior officials of the health department have decided to show the detailed project report to the students. The students have to suffer the most owing to the infrastructure deficiency of the college.”

Sources said the Nalanda Medical College had been running from the present campus since 1970. Even after so many years and increase in the seats and introduction of PG course, the college still lacks proper infrastructure. According to the sources, the college doesn’t have a proper auditorium, theatre and other facilities.

Singh admitted that the present infrastructure of the medical college is not in accordance with the MCI norms. “Most of the departments lack space. We hope there won’t be any infrastructure problems as the college would have a new address.”

Nalanda is not the only medical college where the hospital and the classrooms are located at a distance. Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital in Bhagalpur is facing a similar problem. While the medical college is located in Bari Khanjarpur behind Jayaprakash Udyan of the town, the hospital is located at Mayaganj, around 2.5km from the college.

Kumar said the health department might have to face problems in shifting the college to the hospital campus. “Some portion of the campus is inundated. It would be difficult to carry out the construction there. However, we would go ahead with the plan after considering various problems.”