No prof for 3 depts, medical college still admits students

New Delhi: A medical college at ESIC Model Hospital and PGIMSR, Basaidarapur, has admitted its first batch of MBBS students but is operating without a single professor in any of its three core pre-clinical departments —anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. The college opened in 2025. It is part of a national push by the Employees' State Insurance Corporation to expand medical education and healthcare delivery across the country.
Information obtained under the Right to Information Act shows that for the three pre-clinical departments combined, Parliament-mandated norms require 20 faculty and resident posts —three professors, three associate professors, four assistant professors, seven tutors or demonstrators, and three senior residents. However, the institute currently has no professors, only one associate professor and three assistant professors, most of them on a contractual basis. In the RTI data provided by ESIC Hospital in Feb, the total available strength across anatomy, physiology and biochemistry is 15 — one associate professor, three assistant professors, nine tutors or demonstrators, and two senior residents. Department-wise details highlight the gaps. The anatomy department has two assistant professors and four tutors, but no professor, associate professor or senior resident. Physiology has one associate professor and one assistant professor, both contractual, along with three tutors, but no professor or senior resident. Biochemistry has two tutors and two senior residents, but no professor, associate professor, or assistant professor. Infrastructure constraints add to the concerns. The undergraduate boys' hostel has just seven rooms, while the girls' hostel has only two. Despite this, 27 first-year MBBS students of the 2025–26 batch were allotted hostel accommodation. Teaching resources are limited. The anatomy department currently has only three cadavers for undergraduate training. While the institute stated that physiology and biochemistry laboratories are functional, medical education experts say the absence of professors and senior faculty in pre-clinical subjects affects academic supervision during the foundation phase of medical education. Despite repeated attempts, Dr Gunjan Gupta, medical commissioner (medical administration), ESIC, Delhi, could not be reached for comment. Calls and WhatsApp messages remained unanswered. Medical education experts say pre-clinical departments form the academic base of an MBBS course. "Running them without professors weakens training at the very first stage," a senior academician said.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Valentine's day wishes, messages and quotes !