RIMS-Ongole students fate hangs in balance

HYDERABAD:  The state government’s apathy in providing facilities at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) at Ongole may cost the the state 100 medical seats this academic year.According to sources in the directorate of medical education, the Medical Council of India team had inspected RIMS-Ongole in the last week of February as part of their annual inspection. Not satisfied with the facilities available in the college, the MCI team had put on hold renewal of permission for admissions this year.Moreover, the MCI team also took an undertaking from the DME asking them to provide the required facilities by the end of April so that the existing 100 medical seats would continue in the college. The MCI inspection reveals the fact that the medical students completed their first year in a college where the facilities were inadequate to study medicine.That means, if the government fails to provide the necessary infrastructure by the time MCI teams comes for a second round of inspection, it may order the DME to send the students to another college in the state to pursue their second year.The sources further said, though the state government had given administrative sanction for Rs 183 crore funds to the college, the funds are yet to be released.Speaking to Express, Director of Medical Education B Vasanthaprasad said all the facilities would be in place by the end of April or in the first week of May.Though, sources in the DME exuded confidence that MCI would give permission for continuing the existing batch, they expressed doubts on getting permission for new admissions this year.Instead of making efforts to equip the college with the required facilities,  medical education minister had claimed recently that the state would get 200 additional medical seats this year in four government medical colleges, though the MCI did not give its nod yet.