Madurai: Observing that the purpose behind setting up medical colleges is not only to teach students but also to provide treating facilities to locals, the Madras High Court recently noted that medical colleges should receive NMC approval only when they are established in places where there are no colleges.
Such observation comes from the Court in response to a PIL filed in 2020 seeking to include the new medical colleges in the counseling conducted for MBBS/BDS for the previous academic year 2020-2021.
Dismissing the immature PIL, the Madurai bench of Madras HC comprising of Justices N Kirubakaran and B Pugalendhi further directed the State for taking necessary measures to create infrastructures including setting up buildings and labs for the 11 new medical colleges that have been approved in the State so that after getting nod from the National Medical Commission (NMC) these medical colleges can start admitting students from 2021-2022 academic year.
had previously reported that the committee of the apex medical body National Medical Commission (NMC) recently completed the inspection of 4 medical colleges in Namakkal, Krishnagiri, Tiruppur and Dindigul. The rest of the medical colleges have been set up in Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Nilgiris, Ariyalur, Nagapattinam, Kallakurichi, and Tiruvallur districts.
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As per the latest media report by the Times of India, a resident of Madurai district filed the PIL back in 2020 seeking a direction to include the 11 new medical colleges in the MBBS/BDS counseling for the academic year 2020-2021.
At this outset, the judges took note of the submissions that even though the medical colleges have been inaugurated, the construction works were still under the process and it was not possible to commence the classes without the required infrastructures.
In fact, the State Government further submitted that already the deans of these medical colleges have submitted online applications on 27.11.2020 for getting NMC approval. Following this, NMC would inspect these colleges and after being satisfied, the approval would be given to these medical colleges.
Noting that under such a legal requirement the new medical colleges couldn't be directed for being included for the counseling process in the academic year 2020-2021, the bench dismissed the petition noting that the same was premature.
"No doubt 1,650 medical seats would be added. But that cannot be a ground to give direction, especially, when the NMC has not inspected the colleges and take a decision with regard to the approval," noted the bench.
However, during the hearing of the petition, the High Court also took note of the fact that among the 23 Government, 3 government-controlled and 25 private medical colleges, 16-20 of the private medical colleges are located in and around Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts.
Thus, apart from directing the state to complete the infrastructure of these medical colleges, the bench further observed, as reported by TOI,
"Crowding medical colleges in one area will not help the people at large. This court hopes that in future, the state government, as well as the NMC, would not give approval for any medical colleges in and around Chennai or in any other city which has already got sufficient medical colleges like Puducherry," mentioning that establishing new medical colleges in not only for teaching students but also to improve the healthcare facilities in the unserved areas.
New Indian Express adds that mentioning that NMC should ensure that approval is granted only to the medical colleges in the area where there is no medical college, the bench observed,
"Once a medical college is established, it is not only for teaching the medical students but also for treating the people residing in that area. Crowding medical colleges in one area will not help the people at large."
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