Citing the inadequacy of essential equipment in the Department of Radiotherapy in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), the Post Graduate Medical Education Board of National Medical Commission (NMC) has stopped the admissions to MD (Radiation Oncology) at GMCH for the year 2024-25. Shockingly, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court, in 2017, had directed then Medical Council of India (now NMC) not to stop the admissions to the PG seats of Radiotherapy course till the proposed Cancer Hospital or Institute comes up in GMCH premises. However, NMC’s order tells a different story. The letter by NMC says, “The Board got the assessment of GMCH done for verification of infrastructure, clinical material, faculty for all-round training of students, as per curricular requirement. It says, the Board “found deficiencies, such as inadequate OPD workload in the department, procurement of Linear Accelerator under process at Government-level, and Brachytherapy machine not functioning.

 

The Medical College won’t be able to admit students in the course of MD (Radiation Oncology) for the academic year 2024-25. However, subsequent restoration of seats will be based on the assessment of the medical college/institution, as per the maintenance of Standards of Medical Education Regulations, 2023. Students admitted by the medical college till the academic year 2023-24 will not be affected by this stoppage of admissions and their PG degrees will be considered as recognised for the purpose of registration of the degrees awarded by the University. In the judgment delivered by Nagpur Bench of Bombay High court on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Dr Krishna Kamble, it was made clear that the PG course offered in Radiotherapy was rare in Maharashtra in a Government set-up. The then State Government had proposed Cancer Hospital/Institute in GMCH premises.

 

Considering the hospital aspect, the then Division Bench had directed MCI -- the apex body in medical education that was later changed to National Medical Commission -- to continue the recognition of PG course in Radiotherapy or Radiation Oncology by carrying out inspections from time to time as per law, till a Cancer Hospital/Institute is established in the GMCH premises. According to an expert, stopping the PG admissions to GMCH is contrary to what High the Court had said. It will add to the woes of the students as well as college. This region is facing maximum cases of cancer and against that backdrop the admissions to the course like Radiotherapy related to this dreaded disease should not be stopped, pointed out one Oncologist.