Daltonganj: Palamu MP Vishnu Dayal Ram has urged Union health minister JP Nadda to send a high-level central team to investigate the functioning of Medinirai Medical College and Hospital (MMCH), Daltonganj, and its use of public funds.In a letter dated Oct 21 and released to the media on Oct 24, Ram cited shortcomings in healthcare delivery, medical infrastructure, availability of doctors and faculty, sanitation and fund utilisation. He asked Nadda to treat the matter as urgent.Ram sought an investigation into funds provided to MMCH under National Health Mission and National Rural Health Mission. He also questioned alleged delays in completing a 500-bed hospital and repeated failures of CT scan, ultrasound and digital X-ray services.A faculty member, speaking anonymously, said the hospital had remained far from completion and handover for five years. Hospital sources said online CT scan reports could reportedly take up to four hours, while digital X-ray and ultrasound machines frequently developed technical faults.MMCH has faced a faculty shortage since it began operating in 2019. Its first MBBS batch was admitted in 2019-20, but National Medical Commission barred first-year admissions in 2020-21 because of severe faculty shortages.Principal Dr Jakka Srinivas Rao said, “The faculty shortage is extremely serious. There is an acute lack of assistant professors and professors, although we have a workable number of associate professors.” College sources said about 11 professor and 30 assistant professor posts required urgent filling. NMC’s deadline to address nine critical deficiencies expired on Aug 6.“The state health department is deeply concerned about the issue, and efforts are underway to appoint faculty members at the medical college,” Rao said. Ram could not be reached despite three telephone calls.
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