Media Cell, NIDA
Nagaland’s first medical college Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (NIMSR) began with much fanfare and great expectations. It is the first medical college of the state and NIMSR absolved Nagaland from the tag of being ‘the only state in the country that doesn’t have a medical college’. NIMSR would provide quality medical education to our very own children at our own doorstep. Or so we thought. Three years into the MBBS program, more and more incidences of irregularities and discrepancies have kept emerging. Nagaland In-service Doctors Association (NIDA) has been closely monitoring the events and raised serious and urgent concerns on several occasions to the government and stake holders on multiple issues plaguing NIMSR. It has also written several representations to the appropriate authority for corrective measures on violations of established norms. A few are highlighted and many more would require a proper investigation to be fully understood.
Medical education without faculty:
NIMSR is currently running MBBS course without a single faculty in Pediatric department and with only a single in others such as Pharmacology. With such gross violations, the prospect of de-recognition by National Medical Commission (NMC) is almost certain. For more than a year, NIDA had raised the urgent need to recruit adequate teaching faculties and had been requesting for the advertisement through the Teachers Eligibility Qualification (TEQ) 2025. Prior to TEQ 2025, there had been a hurried attempt by NIMSR to recruit faculty in excess of the required vacancies which would place additional financial liability to the State government as well as limit the scope of employment of indigenous doctors. The TEQ 2025 allows many competent and eligible indigenous doctors especially those who had given service in the government sectors to fill up the vacancies of faculty positions. The urgency and the necessity of adequate faculty have been raised on several occasions.
Monopoly and a disaster in the making:
The concentration of administrative authority of NIMSR on a single pivot of absolute authority without supporting officers places the NIMSR in a precarious position and is a precipice for disaster. Where there should have been a minimum of Six administrative heads in the positions of a separate Director, Dean (Academics), Deputy Director (Administration), Deputy Director (Finance), Registrar and Medical Superintendent who are to jointly administrate NIMSR, it is managed only by a lone Director cum Dean. The post of Director-cum-Dean in itself is controversial. The concentration of absolute authority on only one administrative authority alone suffers not only from the vice of monopoly, creating indispensability and blackmail by resignation threats, but also impairs efficient functioning of the whole institute. Moreover, during the outstation travel and leave absence of the lone authority, the institute is practically without a competent executive head with administrative authority.
The NMC Blackmail and a Govt held hostage:
It was observed that the name of the National Medical Commission had been used to intimidate and place demands especially in the past attempt to recruit excess faculty and failing which NMC would derecognize the medical college. While it is true that Minimum Standard Requirements (MSR) needs to be fulfilled, it would be inappropriate to use NMC to threaten de-recognition for demands beyond the Minimum Standard Requirements, and especially those that puts additional financial liability on the govt. NMC is a regulatory authority that strives to uplift medical institution across the country with a uniform standard and not necessarily a punitive body per se. However, failure to recruit adequate faculty by deliberately withholding recruitment for the last one year and allowing academic semesters to continue without faculty in some department will surely invite de-recognition and NIMSR authority seems to be steering the institute right onto this disaster.
It is in the interest of the Institute and the students that the Government immediately segregates the Director and Dean posts and depute fully functioning administrative team aforementioned so as to stabilize the administration of NIMSR, the absence of which itself will jeopardize the prospect of NMC Recognition.
The Society Card:
Citing its privileges as a ‘Society’ NIMSR has often bypassed and disregarded official procedures. The omission of technical inputs from the Directorate of Health and Family welfare except when in legal trouble or to answer show cause notices from NMC or only when to sanction funds creates a dichotomy where the Medical Directorate appears to serve only as a safety net for NIMSR in times of trouble. It is learnt that the former Deputy Director (Administration) and Deputy Director (Finance) deputed from concerned respective government departments who tried to streamline and establish proper government protocols and procedures for administrative and financial accountability were unceremoniously removed from NIMSR on the grounds that NIMSR is a Society and does not require the usual government procedures. The routing of official administrative matters through the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare would not only serve as an oversight mechanism for the administration of NIMSR but would also help to mentor and guide the nascent medical college.
Suppression of Students’ Rights and Grievances by banning Student welfare unions
While the National Medical Commission encourages the formation of Student Council/Unions and representative bodies (Election of Students’ Union regulation 2009) through Section 4 and explicitly recommends the same in Section 13, the NIMSR authority through an order has banned such student representation or unions which otherwise would voice the grievances of the students. It is self evident that students’ union were banned to prevent students from voicing their grievances against suppressive activities like the forced uniform purchases and its use, the poor transportation facilities, the exorbitant mess fees amongst other issues.
The gradual departure of Faculties:
The years have seen a gradual departure of faculties from NIMSR. It is learnt that more faculties are in queue to leave the institute while NIMSR makes no effort in recruitment of the much needed faculty.
The way forward:
While NIDA takes no pride or pleasure in the press release, it is morally bound and hence can no longer remain silent over a matter that affects public interest and therefore merits to be treated as a subject matter of ‘privileged communication’. The lone medical college of Nagaland is a pride of our state and deserves the best possible faculty and administrators to produce quality doctors for the State.
To safeguard NIMSR therefore, NIDA would like to make the following suggestions:
1. Immediate Faculty recruitment in accordance with TEQ 2025.
2. Immediate Segregation of the Director and Dean Post at NIMSR.
3. Deputation of full time Deputy Director (Admin), Deputy Director (Finance), Registrar, and appointment of Medical Superintendent.
4. Inclusion of more medical subject experts into the decision making bodies for NIMSR to give technical inputs.
5. Routing of all official correspondence of NIMSR through the Medical Education Unit of the Department of Health and Family Welfare to act as oversight and guidance mechanism.
6. Placement of competent persons into technical posts recruited through proper procedures.
7. The establishment of a separate Directorate of Medical Education to streamline and regulate all medical and paramedical education in the State.
While there are many irregularities and other issues underneath, including grant of Central Pay Scale to non faculty employees, or grant of NPA to non doctor staffs, or appointment without advertisements, which all merits a proper investigation, the immediate concern is to ensure adequate faculty and to secure the stability of the NIMSR administration by filling up of the multiple administrative posts. If NIMSR is to thrive, it would require a total revamp of its current administrative system, recruit faculty according to the Minimum standard requirement, constitute neutral bodies to enquire into the administration and financial matters, investigate irregularities and suggest remedies. Without a proactive and urgent intervention, not only the careers of students of NIMSR would be at stake, but NIMSR would face an existential threat.
