Medical college in limbo

Expressbuzz, 6th August, 2009

BHAWANIPATNA: THE Government Engineering College here is all set to begin its current academic session and 240 students have been selected for various streams. But this has raised doubts on the functioning of the Sardar Raja Medical College at Jaring, 15 km from here, scheduled to begin its academic session next year.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had laid a foundation stone for the engineering college at Singhjharan, 8 km from here, before the elections this year. As the college authorities require two years for construction of the college building, the State Government has decided to operate it from the Medical campus. The Medical College was set up by Salvum Education and Charitable Trust of Tamil Nadu in 2004. Though the Medical College had the required infrastructure, it did not have the requisite number of doctors. As a result, it did not get permission from the Medical Council of India(MCI) to begin its academic session. Sources said the hospital authorities are now recruiting more doctors and have targetted to invite the MCI for inspection around May 2010.