A medical college in Coimbatore unrecognized by the Medical Council of India could be running a racket by offering “international” degrees to students. The college does not have medical hospitals or permanent faculty members.
The American International School of Medicine (AISM), affiliated to KSG International Medical Centre in Coimbatore published an advertisement calling applicants to take up an exam.
Pushpa Narayan and Adarsh Jain of The Times of India report that according to the ad, students were not required to appear National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), mandated by the apex court, for admission.
Students pay Rs 70 lakh to Rs 85 lakh for the undergraduate course, apart from expenses for books and the exams.
College authorities said the 17 students admitted to the college for the past two years attend virtual lectures organised by professors in Atlanta, US, and will do practical lessons on computer aided simulation models.
According to the college’s website, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized it along with the National Accreditation Council of Guyana, and students can appear for qualifying examinations in the UK and USA.
But the college is not recognised by the Medical Council of India (MCI), the regulatory body governing medical education in India. AS per MCI norms, an unrecognized medical college cannot teach medicine.
A trustee of the medical college said told TOI that the students study in the college for two years, and will go to Atlanta to complete their fourth and final years of the undergraduate degree. “The degree will come from a university in South America. If they clear a postgraduate examination in the US, they can come back and practise here. Else, they have to appear for a screening test,” she said to TOI.
According to Medical Council of India’s vice-chairman Dr C V Bhirmanandham, undergraduate students will not be permitted to write the screening test as the course run by the college is illegal. MCI also says it is not their responsibility to check these colleges and that the power lies with the state government.