Haldia medical college loses affiliation

Updated on: Tuesday, November 29, 2011

West Bengal University of Health Sciences, the affiliating body of private medical colleges in the state, on Monday cancelled the affiliation of the ICARE Medical College run by an NGO with the backing of CPM strongman and former MP Laxman Seth.

The medical college was given affiliation by the university during the Left Front regime in 2010. The affiliation was renewed in 2011 under the new government. However, the state government found to its surprise that the two colleges - dental college and medical college - both under ICARE were being run from the same building.

Anticipating the state move the medical college authorities had moved the apex court urging a stay on such a step when the inspection report from the Medical Council of India (MCI) was pending. The Supreme Court on November 23, turned down the plea.

Haldia Medical College authorities are however, not in a mood to close down the college after losing the affiliation. Instead, authorities are

looking forward to the the meeting with the MCI on December 5 after which they are likely to take a final decision. "We are yet to decide on the future of the college. The college managing committee will soon meet to take a call," said administrative officer Srimanta Basu.

Trouble has been brewing since August 28 when two ICARE colleges -medical college and dental college -gave admission notifications in the media claiming themselves as institutes recognized by the MCI and affiliated to the West Bengal University of Health Sciences. Taking note of the advertisement, the state government made a similar notification the day after, stating that the BC Roy Medical College and Hospital and the BC Roy Dental College were not affiliated to the state university. Even the Joint Entrance Selection Board didn't send any list if candidates to this college following the government notification. However, students were admitted under management quota from the state and outside with capitation fee.

This prompted the college authorities to move Supreme Court against the state, complaining that the state was dragging its feet to affiliate the college even after the MCI recognized them.

Asked by the Supreme Court to submit a status report on the colleges, a six-member team from the state health university came on a visit to these colleges after the Supreme Court directed the state government to give a status report on the two colleges being run by ICARE.

The team members were barracked by a section employees of the BC Roy Medical College and Hospital and the BC Roy Dental College when they went on a spot visit.

The medical team found to their surprise that the medical college and hospital didn't even have a building of its own. Security guards who barracked the visiting team pointed to the dental college building as that of the medical college. Experts led by U K Bhadra of the NRS Medical College were taken aback with such claims. "Even the building bore the signboard of the BC Roy Dental College that has been painted black to hide its identity," said one of the team members.

Times of India

Haldia medical college loses affiliation

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