After getting new management, Gian Sagar medical college approaches government for revival
Sanjeev Verma | TNN | Updated: May 25, 2018, 11:22 IST
Gian Sagar Hospital
CHANDIGARH: The financially-ailing Gian Sagar Educational and Charitable Trust, managing the Gian Sagar Medical College at Banur in Mohali district, has been taken over by the JSB Group along with its over Rs 200 crore liabilities to revive the institute.
Medical classes at the college, earlier owned by the family members of Nirmal Singh Bhangoo—main accused in Rs 45,000-crore Pearls group chit fund scam—were suspended in February last year after the trust faced serious financial crunch.
The NCR-based JSB group has now approached the Punjab government for re-issuance of the essentiality certificate that is required for setting up a medical college. The state government had, in May last year, withdrawn the earlier essentiality certificate.
Punjab medical education and research minister Brahm Mohindra told the TOI, “We are looking into the representation submitted by the new medical college management. We will issue the essentiality certificate only after being satisfied with fulfillment of all laid down criteria.” Before getting the government permission again to start its classes, the medical college will also have to undergo an inspection from the Medical Council of India (MCI), said the minister.
Speaking to the TOI, one of the new Trust members, Harnam Singh, said, “In the Trust deed signed on April 11, the JSB group—which is into automobile business—has taken over Rs 200 crore liabilities from the Bhangoo family.” He said the total pending salaries of about 500 teaching staff members, doctors, paramedical and other staff would be less than Rs 10 crore, and the new group is in the process of clearing those by June end. “We have till date disbursed around Rs 85 lakh pending salaries of four months to the other staff through demand draft, except for doctors,” he said, adding, Rs 1.15 crore had been deposited in the Punjab National Bank as a security deposit.
If the Punjab medical education and research department grants essentiality certificate to the new Trust, its earlier affiliations will remain intact. In case the management gets the required permissions from the MCI and other authorities in time, medical courses could be revived from the next academic session, said Harnam.
Dr A S Sekhon, dean of the institute, is among the old staff who has agreed to continue with the medical college after being taken over by the new group. He told TOI, “The new Trust members approached some of the old staff members, including me, and we said we are interested in revival of the medical institute.” He said the new management had also recently cleared the pending power bill amounting to Rs 98 lakh and has also applied for a new power connection.
Out of the total loss suffered by the medical college, around Rs 50 crore is on account of vandalization of the hospital building and theft of medical equipment, told Dr Sekhon.
Before the medical college closed its operations, it was imparting medical education to 500 MBBS students and 1,000 students of the dental, nursing and physiotherapy streams. The medical council of India (MCI) had in June last year permitted to shift medical students to other medical colleges in Punjab. The medical college also has around 600-bedded hospital with 10 super-specialty departments. Faculty members and other staff of the medical college, including the security, had intensified their protests in April last year over their wages, pending since October 2016.
Sanjeev Verma | TNN | Updated: May 25, 2018, 11:22 IST
Gian Sagar Hospital
CHANDIGARH: The financially-ailing Gian Sagar Educational and Charitable Trust, managing the Gian Sagar Medical College at Banur in Mohali district, has been taken over by the JSB Group along with its over Rs 200 crore liabilities to revive the institute.
Medical classes at the college, earlier owned by the family members of Nirmal Singh Bhangoo—main accused in Rs 45,000-crore Pearls group chit fund scam—were suspended in February last year after the trust faced serious financial crunch.
The NCR-based JSB group has now approached the Punjab government for re-issuance of the essentiality certificate that is required for setting up a medical college. The state government had, in May last year, withdrawn the earlier essentiality certificate.
Punjab medical education and research minister Brahm Mohindra told the TOI, “We are looking into the representation submitted by the new medical college management. We will issue the essentiality certificate only after being satisfied with fulfillment of all laid down criteria.” Before getting the government permission again to start its classes, the medical college will also have to undergo an inspection from the Medical Council of India (MCI), said the minister.
Speaking to the TOI, one of the new Trust members, Harnam Singh, said, “In the Trust deed signed on April 11, the JSB group—which is into automobile business—has taken over Rs 200 crore liabilities from the Bhangoo family.” He said the total pending salaries of about 500 teaching staff members, doctors, paramedical and other staff would be less than Rs 10 crore, and the new group is in the process of clearing those by June end. “We have till date disbursed around Rs 85 lakh pending salaries of four months to the other staff through demand draft, except for doctors,” he said, adding, Rs 1.15 crore had been deposited in the Punjab National Bank as a security deposit.
If the Punjab medical education and research department grants essentiality certificate to the new Trust, its earlier affiliations will remain intact. In case the management gets the required permissions from the MCI and other authorities in time, medical courses could be revived from the next academic session, said Harnam.
Dr A S Sekhon, dean of the institute, is among the old staff who has agreed to continue with the medical college after being taken over by the new group. He told TOI, “The new Trust members approached some of the old staff members, including me, and we said we are interested in revival of the medical institute.” He said the new management had also recently cleared the pending power bill amounting to Rs 98 lakh and has also applied for a new power connection.
Out of the total loss suffered by the medical college, around Rs 50 crore is on account of vandalization of the hospital building and theft of medical equipment, told Dr Sekhon.
Before the medical college closed its operations, it was imparting medical education to 500 MBBS students and 1,000 students of the dental, nursing and physiotherapy streams. The medical council of India (MCI) had in June last year permitted to shift medical students to other medical colleges in Punjab. The medical college also has around 600-bedded hospital with 10 super-specialty departments. Faculty members and other staff of the medical college, including the security, had intensified their protests in April last year over their wages, pending since October 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment