The Jorhat Medical College and Hospital had much to crow about on its 10th foundation day in Saturday despite manpower crunch and poor infrastructure development.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, principal and chief superintendent Dr Atul Baro said JMCH students had excelled in all the university examinations.
Also read: Assam: Jorhat Medical College and Hospital adds another feather to its cap
“In the first MBBS examination held in June 2019 under SSUHS, out of first fifteen positions, our students have secured seven positions and secured first position in the university,” Baro said.
“In the second MBBS examination held in January 2019 under SSUHS, out of first 15 positions, our students have secured six positions,” he added.
“Similarly, in post graduate examinations too, our students have passed out in flying colors,” he added.
From this year, NCC had also been introduced in the college and more than 20 students had volunteered for it.
He informed that as per directives of government of India, seats in all the medical colleges in India had been increased with introduction of reservation of students from economically weaker sections of the society.
In JMCH too 25 seats have been added making the total admitted in the new batch to 125, he informed.
As regards academics Baro said the Medical Council of India had given permission to JMCH to start a regional centre for medical education which would cater to the needs of entire north-eastern states and part of West Bengal.
“As the Medical Council of India had already decided to start new curriculum from this year with admission of new batch of students, hence it was very pertinent to train the teachers in batches across the country,” he further said.
“With this view, MCI opened few regional centres all over the country and ours is one among them,” he informed.
“Medical teachers from north-eastern states no longer have to travel to distant places like Ludhiana, Delhi, Pondicherry etc to get training, ” he further said.
Baro said that this year MCI had granted permission to start PG courses in all the clinical departments except one.
“We have been already running PG courses in Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Forensic Medicine, Preventive & Social Medicine, Pharmacology and Microbiology departments since last four years,” he said.
From this year, we have started PG courses in Medicine, Surgery, Orthopaedics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, ENT, Radiology and Anaesthesiology, he added.
“Presently 66 students are doing their post graduate courses in different subjects,” he also said.
He, however, lamented the only downside was infrastructure development.
“Infra-structurse are not adequate and many of the buildings are crying for urgent repair,” he said.
“Seats were increased without increasing infrastructures and as a result PGs have to be accommodated at a different campus,: he added.
In a medical institute, this affects the service and academics, he also said.
“Despite resources in funds, we are trying to give the minimum facilities to our students,” Dr Baro said.
Regarding hospital services he said that the patient load had increased day by day.
“Although at the beginning our bed strength was 500, but at the moment we are giving service in 700 beds without any increase of manpower and other facilities,” he added.
In the last one year from September 2018 to August 2019, the number of patients who attended our outdoor was 3,56,502; out of which 40,766 patients were treated in indoor; major operation was 7817, minor operation was 14088, normal delivery was 3583, caesarian section was 4810, so totalnumber of deliveries were more than 8000.
This speaks of the tremendous pressure of work upon the Gynaecology department.
Number of deliveries has increased, but there is no proportionate increase of manpower in the department.
“How it will affect the quality of work is quite imaginable. 53,299 patients attended casualty, and our bed occupancy rate during the period was 98,” he said.
Among the new developments were Cardiac Cathlab inaugurated in the month of February 2019 by minister of Health & Family Welfare, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.
With the joining of Dr Alok Malakar, assistant prof of Cardiology in JMCH, Cardiac Cathlab had also become fully functional and already 23 patients had received pace maker.
Makhan Gattani, noted industrialist of Jorhat has built an attendants’ waiting lodge for JMCH building and it was inaugurated by the deputy commissioner of Jorhat, Roshni Aparanji Korati.
It may be mentioned that another attendants’ waiting lodge (dharamsala) is coming up near State Bank of India, JMC branch.
This has been donated by local industrialist O P Gattani.