KOCHI: The PG Psychiatry students of Ernakulam Government Medical College (EMC) who are left with just one assistant professor to teach them can now hope for relief. According to Principal of EMC Dr V.K. Sreekala, the Director of Medical Education (DME) has sent a proposal to the Government to promote and transfer one additional professor from Thiruvananthapuram Medical College to EMC. The crisis developed with the only professor at the medical college discontinuing service on September 30 with him completing 60 years of age.
There are two seats currently for Psychiatry MD at the college and currently six students are studying in three years. “Either a professor or associate professor is needed apart from the assistant professor already there to teach the current number of students as per the Medical Council of India (MCI) norms. The crisis that has now arisen with the exit of the professor will be solved soon,” said the principal adding that more doctors can be posted on contract basis in the psychiatry wing to take care of patients.
Students were afraid that the MCI recognition of the course itself will be lost if the authorities fail to take steps to fill the post which fell vacant with the exit of Prof Sivasankaran Nair. “We have been hearing for the past one month that an additional professor is to be promoted and transferred to EMC from Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. But it is not happening which is our concern and we want it to be resolved at the earliest,” said a PG Students Association member.
