Kerala has temporarily shifted 113 government doctors to the newly established K Karunakaran Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram ahead of a National Medical Commission inspection that will assess whether the institution can begin a 100-seat MBBS course next academic year.
The NMC inspection is scheduled for Wednesday, with the commission’s expert team expected to examine the college’s infrastructure, clinical facilities and faculty strength. The state has set its sights on submitting the preliminary application for recognition of the 100 MBBS seats by November 30.
The medical college was established by integrating the General Hospital and Women and Children Hospital at Thycaud. However, permanent posts for the institution have not yet been created. In the interim, the health department has deployed doctors from existing government medical colleges through a temporary transfer order issued by the director of medical education.
Of the 113 doctors moved to the new institution, 66 are from Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. The order also includes doctors from the government medical colleges at Konni, Kasaragod and Wayanad, institutions that are already facing staff shortages, according to the report.
The health department has sought the creation of 113 new doctor posts for K Karunakaran Government Medical College. The proposal is awaiting final clearance from the finance department, leaving the institution dependent on temporary staffing arrangements as it prepares for the NMC assessment.
Government sources said the deployment was made specifically to meet the requirements of the inspection and maintained that the arrangement would not affect patient care at the hospitals from which the doctors were shifted. The temporary deployment is intended to demonstrate adequate faculty strength while the state works through the process of creating permanent positions.
For the proposed MBBS programme to proceed, the institution must satisfy the NMC’s requirements on teaching staff and infrastructure. The inspection therefore represents an immediate test of the new college’s readiness, while the pending approval for permanent posts remains a separate administrative step.
The NMC’s preliminary application deadline is November 30. The state’s next milestones are the inspection, the submission of the application for recognition and a final decision on the creation of the 113 permanent doctor posts.
