Shimla: Nearly 700 MBBS students are enrolled in medical colleges across Himachal Pradesh every year. But most of them are not getting an opportunity to perform real-time cadaver dissection or virtual cadaver dissection since the colleges lack cadavers as per norms fixed by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and Hospital has registered 364 persons who have offered to donate their bodies for medical research. However, the college has got just five cadavers, of which, four were unclaimed bodies. Anatomists revealed that the five cadavers are of men and the MBBS students have no exact knowledge of female anatomy.

The newly opened medical colleges at Nahan, Nerchowk, Chamba and Hamirpur are reportedly looking for cadavers from the IGMC and the PGI, Chandigarh.

Dr SK Nanda, State President, Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that this is a matter of concern as to what kind of medical professionals the state is producing. He expressed his concern stating that these colleges neither have faculties, nor well-equipped dissection rooms and infrastructure.

Dr Nanda further stated that the IMA has always pleaded with the government not to start a medical college unless enough staff, equipment and facilities for the students, teachers and patients are provided.

An anatomist stated that the Department of Medical Education is also to blame as it has no cadaver donation programme. Even doctors and common men refuse cadaver donations on account of their religious beliefs.

MBBS students revealed that they did not have even access to virtual cadavers that gave a three-dimensional view of the human anatomy and that there are not enough teachers, equipment and lab facilities in these colleges.

Dr Anju Pratap Kaundal, Head, Department of Anatomy, IGMC mentioned that they have set up a museum that caters to the needs of the college as the students can learn from parts of skeleton as well. However, as per MCI norms, they need a cadaver, whether real or virtual, for every 10-15 MBBS students. (The Tribune)