Bihar : Medical Colleges or Teaching Shops

A medical college hostel. Courtesy: Hindustan Times

NK SINGH

The Medical Education Committee which was appointed by the Bihar Government to inquire into and suggest ways to improve the standard of medical education seems to have examined the problem thoroughly. 

Its recently submitted report states: "The organisers of none of the private medical colleges in the state seem to have made any donation. It is, therefore, clear that there is no element of philanthropy in these enterprises and the organisers have not been motivated by missionary spirit. 

On the other hand, whatever may have been their intentions, they seem to have created the impression that young men's craze for medical education is being exploited under the cloak of missionary spirit." 

The Committee has also suggested the promulgation of an ordinance to check immediately the mushroom growth of private medical colleges. Consequently, the Health Department of the state government has sent the draft of such an ordinance to the Law Department where the whole issue is being scrutinised for further action.

In the course of its investigation, the Committee has found that none of the half dozen private medical colleges in Bihar which admit students after charging a capitation fee ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per student without having any uniform admission criteria are adhering to the principles laid down by the Medical Council of India.

Most of these colleges are without any buildings of their own, adequate teaching staff, necessary equipment or an attached teaching hospital for training. These basic facilities are supposed to be created later on with the help of donations from students.

Expressing concern for the responsibilities of medical personnel, the report points out that by lending their names to these institutions some retired and senior teachers and doctors have caused "serious harm to medical education in the state.

They have allowed their prestigious position as eminent retired teachers to be misused by organisers of private medical colleges to mislead young men desirous of acquiring medical education." 

The Committee found that motivated by considerations other than academics, the universities in Bihar have affiliated with these colleges without inquiring about their standards of teaching and other matters. 

Backing Of Important Politicians

But after having said all this, the Committee suggests that "four of the private medical colleges might be allowed to continue Perhaps the Committee could not do otherwise as any hint of denial of recognition of the said medical colleges would have created serious political trouble in Bihar.

It is an open secret that most of these teaching shops have the powerful backing of important politicians. 

As for the Committee's recommendation that the "opening of private medical colleges in the state should be made a penal offence, it is not difficult to visualise that several powerful political barons will not allow this to happen. 

The Bihar Government had earlier decided against granting recognition to such colleges but ministers continued to be willing to inaugurate them and support them and eminent doctors were willing to lend their prestige to make these teaching shops look respectable and reliable. 

The affair is partly due to the government's failure to expand facilities for medical education in the state. 

Even in these days of acute unemployment, the administrative, technical, and medical fields offer some job prospects. Hence, many students want to take up studies in these fields. There is a scarcity of recognised medical colleges in Bihar. 

While Maharashtra with a population of 48,000,000 has twelve established medical colleges and Mysore with 28,000,000 has nine, Bihar with 56,000,000 inhabitants has only three reputable medical colleges.

The growing demand for medical education encouraged some people to start private medical colleges. These clever businessmen and there is no shortage of them found good scope for extending their business empire into the academic field. And this could be done without putting in any capital of their own.

This no-capital business had the backing of several influential persons, including ministers, legislators, senior doctors, and some so-called academicians. Taking advantage of the situation, about half a dozen private medical colleges and even a medical university' sprang up one after another. 

Admission By Donation

The association of these colleges with the names of respectable people helped to encourage the feeling that in time the colleges would be affiliated with different universities (which did happen) and ultimately the Medical Council of India would recognise them (which did not happen). 

Several hundred students, most of whom had failed to gain admission into the government medical colleges due to lack of merit, were admitted by the private colleges on payment of a lump sum 'donation of about Rs 20,000, besides the heavy tuition fees.

In this way, the sponsors were able to collect several crores of rupees the sole motive behind their philanthropic and 'missionary spirit.

The skeletons in the cupboards of the private medical colleges began falling out when the sponsors of one of these colleges, the Patliputra Medical College, quarrelled amongst themselves in April 1971. 

While the 'Registrar of the College charged its Managing Committee Chairman' former Chief Minister of Bihar and others with defalcation of college funds to the tune of one crore rupees, the 'Secretary was reported to have threatened the Treasurer with a revolver, 

A case, known as the Patliputra Medical College Defalcation Case, is pending in the courts and several influential persons, including politicians, are involved in it.

ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL WEEKLY

May 6,1972