Author: PNS
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: October 7, 2012
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/100045-graft-ridden-education-system-behind-shortage-of-doctors.html

Massive corruption has destroyed the country’s medical education and this has led to severe shortage of doctors and para-medical staff, say south India’s leading educationists Dr G Viswanathan, Chancellor, Vellore Institute of Technology and Prof S P Thyagarajan, pro-chancellor (research), Ramachandra University, Chennai.

 Dr Viswanathan said politicians and bureaucrats in States charge `50 crore for issuing No Objection Certificate for a medical college. “We have to spend another `50 crore to speed up licence formalities in New Delhi. There is no transparency in the process of issuing licences to start medical colleges while the country is reeling under severe shortage of medical doctors,” Dr Viswanathan told The Pioneer.

 Prof Thyagarajan demanded an immediate change in the style of functioning of the Medical Council of India. “The entire process of granting of licences and recognition is shrouded in mystery and secrecy. What is the need for such secrecy?” asked Prof Thyagarajan.

 Vellappilly Natesan,  general secretary of the powerful Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam  which controls  hundreds of educational institutions in Kerala said medical colleges have become the prerogative of certain minority communities. “Even meritorious students find it difficult to manage the fee structure  in government -run medical colleges. Most of the private medical colleges in Kerala are being run by minority communities. The rules have been framed in such a manner that they only can set up medical colleges,” said Natesan. He said the Kerala  Government itself can launch at least 10 medical colleges in the State. “If they can launch an international airlines, why could not they open medical colleges,”  he asked.   

 Dr Viswanathan pointed out that there were many entrepreneurs and educationists who were ready to open medical colleges in India. “There is a scarcity of medical colleges and seats in the country. We need 12 lakh doctors and 36 lakh nurses to meet the norms set by the world Health Organisation. What we have is 5.5 lakh doctors and 4 lakh nurses. The country has just 42,000 MBBS seats. This may raise to 80,000 in another seven or eight years. But that is far behind the target,” said Dr Viswanathan who recently took over as the chairman of the Education Promotion Society of India (EPSI), the apex body of all private professional education institutes in the country.

 He said China admits every year eight lakh students for MBBS course. “Russia has set apart 40,000 seats in medicine exclusively for foreign students. Thousands of Indian students join the MBBS course in China and Russia since they could not make it to the Indian colleges because of the minimum mark target which never comes down below 98 per cent. “This is ridiculous. We should offer facilities to students who do well in examinations but not that lucky to bag 98 per cent,” he said.