ESIC to cut off the Medical Education Wing

The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has taken a major initiative of shutting down its medical colleges, leading to massive agitation and protests by the students. The order issued at an ESIC meet says that medical education is not the core function of ESIC and other objectives are unlikely to be met in the future.

ESIC has put forward its inability in shutting down medical education and mentioned that the corporation has been unable to meet the objective of establishing medical colleges and training institutes to serve the insured and non-insured persons of the ESIC scheme. However the authority has assured that the existing medical programmes will continue only till the admitted students pass out or are adjusted by medical colleges of the State Governments. No further intake of candidates will be undertaken by ESIC.

Foreseeing the plight of ESIC decision many faculties have started leaving institution. Considering this situation Chandra Mohan, president of the ESIC students association said that every medical college has to have a required number of students, teachers and administrative staff to get recognized by the MCI. But due to the ESIC decision all the faculties have started leaving the institutions. If the MCI withdraws its recognition, none of the students are going to get any medical degree.

The ESI Act was amended in 2010 to allow it to set up medical colleges and currently 13 medical institutions are in various stages of construction.

Important Points

• ESIC to shut down medical colleges
• Colleges not to undertake admission further
• Current medical programs will be continued till the students pass out and are adjusted by the medical colleges of the State Governments.