MUMBAI, June 1: Within days of the Maharashtra Medical Council recommendation to stop admissions to Terna Medical College in Navi Mumbai for inadequate facilities, an Express Newsline investigation has revealed that the college `borrowed' staff from Mahatma Gandhi Mission's Medical College, Aurangabad, before an inspection by the Medical Council of India.The urgent `hiring' was facilitated largely because both, Terna and MGM are owned by former Congress ministers, Padamsinh Patil and Kamal Kishore Kadam respectively.

The MCI, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) and Mumbai University carries out periodic inspections to check on the proper functioning of medical colleges. Some of the medical staff at MGM, Aurangabad, told Express Newsline that just before May 15 and 16, the days that the MCI team was to visit the unrecognised and under-staffed Terna Medical College at Navi Mumbai, the Terna management requisitioned some junior doctors from MGM, Aurangabad.

The doctors who were to be loaned were asked to collectively resign on May 13. And were told that after the MCI inspection in Navi Mumbai, they would be `returned' to their posts.

House-officers Anju Malani, Ajay Mane, Jyotsna Patil, Sharmilee Kadam, Himali Gala and Sonali Mandot from the gynaecology department were some of the chosen doctors.

Of these Sonali Mandot is registered as a post-graduate diploma course candidate in gynaecology at MGM and is at present working in the surgery department there. Sudhir Mulye (paediatrics), Dr Anshul and Makarand Diwan (medicine), Aparna Salunke (clinical), Mrunal Deshmukh (ENT), Praveen Shinde and Deepak Patil (pathology) were also brought in to Mumbai. Medical artist Jeevan Gadekar also travelled to Mumbai with charts and expensive medical equipment. Dr A M Vare, Dean of MGM, Aurangabad was also present at Terna at the time of the inspection. The doctors travelled from Aurangabad to Navi Mumbai and back in a van belonging to the MGM College. Dr Vare left for Aurangabad by the evening flight on May 16. All of them stayed at Hotel Trishul in Navi Mumbai.

When contacted by Express Newsline authorities at Terna claimed that five to six of these junior doctors had ``been recruited on their staff.'' However, our investigations proved that these doctors are still doing their post-graduate work at MGM College, Aurangabad. A staff member for instance confirmed on the telephone that Dr Anju Malani indeed worked in the hospital and that she would be available the next day.

Similarly, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on duty in the casualty department of MGM Medical College, Aurangabad, on Sunday said that Dr Makarand Diwan and Dr Anshul were on duty on June 1. He also said that Dr Anshul had been to the casualty department the same afternoon. This reporter was told that Dr Sudhir Mulye has gone to Mumbai for his examinations and was expected back after 15 days. This reporter also spoke to Sharmilee Kadam in Aurangabad in the gynaecology department at MGM, Aurangabad when she was ostensibly on the staff of Terna in Navi Mumbai.

Highly placed sources confirm that eight of these names figure in the MCI's standard inspection form `B" submitted by the Terna Medical College. This form is to be filled by the dean of the college and contains information on the infrastructure, faculty, departments and other relevant details about the institution. The form is submitted to the inspecting agencies (MCI, MMC or Mumbai University as the case may be).

Dr Vijaya D Joshi, Dean of Terna Medical College admits that a group of doctors did arrive from Aurangabad. But they were all, she insisted, newly recruited. She further explained MGM dean Dr Vare's presence as an `adviser' to Terna. When contacted, Dr A M Vare said,"I had not come to Mumbai in an official capacity but as an honorary adviser to the Terna authorities. Denying the fact that any junior doctors had accompanied him to Mumbai, Dr A M Vare said: "So many junior doctors switch jobs often. This is just one of those things."Padamsinh Patil, chairman of the Terna Medical College, also insisted that these doctors have been taken on the Terna staff and are presently on `vacation'. Dr Patil said, "Dr Kamal Kishore Kadam is an associate of mine (Dr Patil and Dr Kadam were ministers in the Congress state government.) So as a gesture of goodwill, I asked the MGM dean Dr Vare to help out during the MCI inspection at Terna." When contacted, MCI authorities refused to comment on the matter until the executive committee report on the inspection is submitted. Established in 1991, Terna Medical College is run by the Terna Public Charitable Trust, Ternanagar, Osmanabad413580. Subsequent to its inpection of Terna on May 15 and 16, the MCI carried out yet another surprise inspection on May 23 and 24. The second inspection was carried out by Dr C A Desai, full time zonal inspector with the MCI from Aurangabad and M M Prabhakar, Professor and Head of Orthopedics, B J Medical College, Ahmedabad. This is not the first time that such a pre-inspection cover-up has taken place. A staff member joined MGM College Aurangabad in December 1993. In an appeal to the University Tribunal, Aurangabad, he states, ``The apellant was first directed to go to the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Navi Mumbai and to be present there for some days as the MCI team was to come for the inspection of the said college. After the inspection was over, the apelllant returned to Aurangabad and started work in this college.''The MCI too seems keen to tackle this problem of fake staff and manipulated infrastructure. MCI President Dr Ketan Desai recently announced the MCI's decision to conduct `surprise inspections' in medical colleges. Dr Desai had cited the case of K J Somaiya Medical College, Sion, Mumbai. "During the first inspection at Somaiya College, the staff and facilities were found to be accurate. However, in a subsequent `surprise' inspection', inadequecies in infrastructure and staff were revealed," Dr Desai had said.In February 1997, Express Newsline had carried a similiar report on the Mumbai University's inspection at MGM Medical College, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai. At that time, the MGM authorities had brought in healthy individuals to pose as patients in order to show that the MGM hospital had optimum occupancy.

Padamsinh Patil, chairman of the Terna Medical College, also insisted that these doctors have been taken on the Terna staff and are presently on `vacation'. Dr Patil said, "Dr Kamal Kishore Kadam is an associate of mine (Dr Patil and Dr Kadam were ministers in the Congress state government.) So as a gesture of goodwill, I asked the MGM dean Dr Vare to help out during the MCI inspection at Terna." When contacted, MCI authorities refused to comment on the matter until the executive committee report on the inspection is submitted. Established in 1991, Terna Medical College is run by the Terna Public Charitable Trust, Ternanagar, Osmanabad--413580. Subsequent to its inpection of Terna on May 15 and 16, the MCI carried out yet another surprise inspection on May 23 and 24. The second inspection was carried out by Dr C A Desai, full time zonal inspector with the MCI from Aurangabad and M M Prabhakar, Professor and Head of Orthopedics, B J Medical College, Ahmedabad. This is not the first time that such a pre-inspection cover-up has taken place. A staff member joined MGM College Aurangabad in December 1993. In an appeal to the University Tribunal, Aurangabad, he states, ``The apellant was first directed to go to the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Navi Mumbai and to be present there for some days as the MCI team was to come for the inspection of the said college. After the inspection was over, the apelllant returned to Aurangabad and started work in this college.''

The MCI too seems keen to tackle this problem of fake staff and manipulated infrastructure. MCI President Dr Ketan Desai recently announced the MCI's decision to conduct `surprise inspections' in medical colleges. Dr Desai had cited the case of K J Somaiya Medical College, Sion, Mumbai. "During the first inspection at Somaiya College, the staff and facilities were found to be accurate. However, in a subsequent `surprise' inspection', inadequecies in infrastructure and staff were revealed," Dr Desai had said.

In February 1997, Express Newsline had carried a similiar report on the Mumbai University's inspection at MGM Medical College, Kamothe, Navi Mumbai. At that time, the MGM authorities had brought in healthy individuals to pose as patients in order to show that the MGM hospital had optimum occupancy.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.