Mumbai: The Maharashtra Education and Drug Department (MEDD) has permitted the resumption of fellowships and diploma degrees offered by the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS). Eight months ago, all courses were cancelled after violations were found during inspections. “We have restarted 10 of the 26 CPS courses with immediate effect, benefitting more than 1,000 medical students who want to pursue fellowship and diploma courses,” said an MEDD official.
Way back in 2000, the Medical Council of India (MCI) had recommended de-recognising CPS courses owing to cases of lack of transparency, inadequate supervision, lack of quality of candidates and put a stop to 11 of them. As per a Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) official, the de-recognised courses continued to be included in the MMC schedule as CPS office-bearers “had influence on the state government” and MMC was then still under the Medical Education and Drugs department.
In a major action taken on July 14 last year, the MMC inspected 120 medical institutions attached to CPS, but 74 colleges refused to get the inspection done. It was found that there was a shortage in the faculty imparting diploma courses in many institutions. Moreover, lack of infrastructure was found at many places, which is a violation of the rules of the National Medical Council.
The MMC mentioned these deficiencies in the report given to MEDD, following which the then MEDD Secretary Ashwini Joshi canceled all the CPS courses. Even the three diplomas recognised by the Union health ministry – in pathology, child health and gynaecology – were cancelled.
CPS President Dr Ajay Sambre said, “Every year in the state, 1,200 students passed MBBS and did diploma and fellowship courses. Owing to some of our shortcomings and some misunderstandings, the then secretary canceled the courses run by CPS.”
However, many students last year had hailed the de-recognition of CPS saying it was sub-par as it lacked advanced diagnostic technologies like the CT scanner and MRI machines.
