Patna Medical College and Hospital students' envy is the pride of AIIMS-Patna medicos.

The new health cradle has provided its each student with an iPad 2 against a nominal fee. The Patna Medical College and Hospital students are jittery over it.

Mahesh Tiwari, a third-year student of PMCH, would have loved to flaunt an i-Pad2 like the Jaiprakash Narayan All India Institute of Medical Sciences (JPNAIIMS) students. "I got to know from one of my friends studying at JPNAIIMS that he has been provided with an iPad against a nominal fee. I wish I could have studied at JPNAIIMS and got the tool."

The communication gadget is not the only issue bugging Mahesh. He is perturbed over missing out on several other facilities offered at AIIMS-Patna. (See graphics)

"Our college library does not have the latest edition of textbooks. We have to make do with earlier editions. The latest edition of any book is better than the earlier editions because it is the updated version."

He said: "Our college library has the 23rd and the 24th edition of Belly and Love, a famous textbook for surgery. But if you go to market you will get its 25th edition. Similarly, our college library does not have the 18th edition of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. We get the 13th, 14th and the 16th edition of this book in our library."

Reading in the library in the summer is also a struggle for the PMCH students. Chandan Mishra, an intern at the PMCH, said: "The air-conditioners in our college library are defunct. We have to depend on 10 fans, of which two are out of order. We sweat in the summer and cannot concentrate on the book."

In sharp contrast, reading in the library is a pleasure for the JPNAIIMS students. "Our library is fully air-conditioned. We have the latest edition of all the required books at our college library. Foreign research journals are also available there," said Mohammad Hamza, a first-year MBBS student at the AIIMS-Patna.

Professors of AIIMS-Patna use video clips and PowerPoint presentations to make the lecture sessions lively. They interact with students and clear their conceptual doubts with utmost care.

"Most advanced teaching technologies are used in our institution. Our lecture theatre has interactive boards. We are shown animations and videos on every topic. They help us understand complex matters easily," said Jagdish Singh, a first-year student of the AIIMS-Patna.

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