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New Delhi, August 22: An expert committee mandated by the Supreme Court in its May 2 order to look into the policy decisions of the Medical Council of India (MCI) has rejected the request of the VSS Medical College, Burla, to increase its MBBS seats from 150 to 250 from 2016-17 academic session.
The MCI had recommended to the Centre to disapprove of the demand to raise medical seats in some colleges including VSSMC. The Centre accepted the MCI recommendations June 10 this year.
The committee which looked into the matter was headed by R M Lodha, former chief justice of India, Shiv Sareen, director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences and Vinod Rai, former comptroller and auditor general of India. This comes as a surprise for the Orissa government which was keen on raising MBBS seats in the state from 150 to 250 at the VSS medical college since 2013.
The council members who had earlier visited the college campus were dissatisfied with the state of affairs and the infrastructure at the medical college. The commiittee sited the same reasons in its report to the Centre.
Nevertheless, the supervisory committee constituted by the apex court has granted permission for renewal of 100 MBBS seats of the privately-owned Hi-Tech Medical College at Rourkela.
According to the judgment of the apex court, the committee was authorised to oversee all statutory functions under the MCI Act. All policy decisions of the MCI were approved by the committee. The committee was empowered to issue appropriate remedial directions.
The court order said committee would work for a term of one year, until a suitable mechanism is evolved in its place.
