Lack of faculty hampers GMC Srinagar’s MBBS intake

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 28: The lack of faculty in Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar is hampering the process of enhancing its intake capacity for its Bachelor’s course, MBBS.
The GMC, Srinagar is fulfilling all the Medical Council of India (MCI) norms and Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad also assured in 2011 to enhance the intake capacity of GMC, Srinagar but the College has failed to get the required faculty.
Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education said that MCI team visited the college and saw its infrastructure. Subsequently, they gave their nod for enhancing the intake capacity for GMC Srinagar but there is shortage of faculty.
According to recent data about the faculty position in the GMC, Srinagar, against the sanctioned strength of 402 members there are only 195.
Apart from Principal GMC, Srinagar, the sanctioned strength of Professors in the College is 56, but only 24 are in position and 32 posts of Professors are vacant. “Out of 59 sanctioned posts of Associate Professor, only 41 are in position and 18 are vacant. Similarly, out of 101 Assistant Professor posts, 72 are in position and 29 posts are vacant. There are 41 vacancies of lecturers as 144 are in place when the sanctioned strength is 185”.
Dwivedi said that the GMC, Srinagar promoted some faculty members to the Assistant Professors, but the college still lacks fifty per cent staff.
“The main hindrance behind bringing back doctors gone outside the State is they demand higher wages and incentives, which is not possible for us. We are chalking out a strategy to ask our doctors to return and once the issue is sorted out the GMC will be eligible for increasing the intake capacity”, said Dwivedi.
“Our bed strength in the associated hospitals is more than 1000 and we receive thousands of patients in Out Patient Department and in patient department, so we qualify to double our intake capacity as per MCI norms,” Dr. Rafiq Pampori, Principal GMC Srinagar said.