Patna: Even as several doctors of the Patna Medical College and Hospital were found absent during a surprise check by Bihar authorities, the Medical Council of India will send a team here to assess the infrastructure of the PMCH and Anugraha Naryan Magadh Medical College in Gaya in view of the state government's move to increase the number of seats.

Several doctors, who were supposed to be manning the outdoor patient department and other units of the PMCH, were found absent from duties during a surprise inspection of the PMCH by a two-man team. They submitted a report to the state health secretary Dipak Kumar seeking action against the doctors.

The inspection came barely nine days before the proposed visit of the MCI experts to inspect PMCH and and the hospital in Gaya on December 19 and 20.

The MCI experts are to inspect these medical colleges to assess the infrastructure these hospitals have following the government's proposed move to increase the number of seats for medicos in under graduate course.

NMCH principal Dr C B Choudhury said he had sent a letter to the MCI today, requesting that they defer their inspection and, if possible, combine it with its annual inspection of our hospital in February-March next year.

According to sources, there is a shortage of faculty in all the medical colleges in the state and during its inspection last year, the MCI had observed that there was a 24 per cent shortage of teachers in the PMCH.

Source : PTI