Kanakapura: Months ahead of the National Medical Commission (NMC) review, the Directorate of Medical Education has been directed to appoint senior residents and other faculty members to address vacancies in 16 government medical colleges and the two new colleges proposed in Kanakapura and Ramanagara within three months.
However, the department is struggling to meet this deadline, raising doubts about its ability to recruit the necessary faculty members in time. Sources indicate that the colleges in Kanakapura and Ramanagara are unlikely to begin functioning in the 2025-26 academic year.
Dr. B.L. Sujatha Rathod, Director of the Directorate of Medical Education, revealed that Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil chaired a meeting to address the issue. She stated, “Required senior residents will be appointed from the Directorate’s funds, and a proposal for recruiting the remaining staff will be submitted to the Finance Department.”
This situation arises after the NMC imposed penalties on 16 government medical colleges for unfilled vacancies and rejected applications to establish new colleges in Kanakapura and Ramanagara for 2024-25. Despite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar directing the department to resolve the deficiencies for 2025-26, the department has only recently initiated efforts under pressure from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).
RGUHS had previously written to the department, seeking assurance about staff recruitment before applying to the NMC. On January 13, the Principal Secretary of Medical Education committed to completing the recruitment process within the stipulated time.
While the state government scrambles to address teaching vacancies, the looming penalties from ₹2 lakh to ₹15 lakh on existing government colleges underscore the urgency of the task. The ability to meet these deadlines remains uncertain.
