The Medical Council of India (MCI) has set March-end as the deadline for 14 medical colleges to put their house in order to meet the needs of the students. Else, it warned, they will face action including de-recognition.

These medical institutes from across the country had approached the Council with a request for increase in MBBS seats with some of them keen to start new PG courses for the academic session 2012-2013.

However, taking a stringent view that the colleges were found wanting in many mandatory areas with many of them even failing to fulfill the basic criteria to ensure standard education to the students, the MCI Board of Governors (BOG), headed by Dr KK Talwar, in a recent meeting directed them to meet the criteria by March-end.

“They have been asked to fulfil the criteria within the said time in case they plan to go in for increase in seats or offer new PG courses. The colleges are given a chance to comply with the requirements defined under the norms. A repeated ignorance by them may result in de-recognition,” a senior MCI official said.

Of all the colleges under scanner, the MCI’s assessment found that Meerut-based LLRM Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi medical College and Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital at Thane were lacking in many aspects.

For instance, in the LLRM Medical College the number of seats in the college’s library was found to be just 149 against the 200 required while teaching aids in ward and the size of the labour room were inadequate. Also, only one PHC existed instead of three required and medical records were not computerized. Moreover, only three mobile x-rays were available instead of the mandated six. Similarly, there was an acute shortage of nurses and audiologists. The teaching faculty too was grossly inadequate, the official said.

The nod to the application for increase of seats for the academic year 2012-13 will be considered only if the college comply with the directions,  he added.

Nanded-based Dr Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College too faces a de-recognition threat for the award of MBBS degrees under Section 19 of the IMC Act, 1956.