July 13, 2014
MCI restores all medical seats in Bengal after intervention by WB CM
An SOS from Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee to Union HealthMinister has helped restore all 1045 medical seats in Bengal that had earlierbeen scrapped by Medical Council of India citing inadequate infrastructure.
The relief came after the state government gave anundertaking that the colleges would meet MCI`s guidelines on infrastructure andfaculty within a year.
On June 14, the MCI had restored 400 seats in the state. On Saturday,it lifted the freeze on another 200. The rest will be reinstated within a week,MCI member from Bengal Sudipto Roy said.
The ice began to melt only after Ms. Banerjee took up thematter and wrote to the Union health minister seeking his intervention. She pointedout the plight of bright students whose careers were under threat despiteattaining high ranks in the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination.
MCI representative from West Bengal, Sudipta Roy, said: “TheCM`s letter to the Union health minister helped sort out the imbroglio.”
“We are really very happy that the MCI has cleared all theseats and this will give enough opportunity to the students who have clearedthe Joint Entrance Examination and are aspiring for medical career,“ Directorof Medical Education, Sushanta Banerjee said.
