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Kolkata State May Get 6 New Medical Colleges

By siddharth22, Section Education
Posted on Tue Apr 15, 2008 at 02:04:28 AM EST

The state may soon have six new medical colleges. The decision was taken at a meeting between chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and officials of the Medical Council of India (MCI) on Sunday. It has also paved the way for the first private medical college, which is expected to start functioning from this year.

The first private college KPC Medical College happens to be located in the chief minister's constituency in Jadavpur. It will start an MBBS course this year and an MCI inspection team is expected to visit the college this week.

As part of it's platinum jubilee celebrations, MCI has launched an initiative to increase the number of medical colleges in the country. "This will help improve the healthcare system in the country," said Ketan Desai, a member of MCI, who met the CM along with Dr Indrajit Ray, another MCI member. The meeting was also attended by state health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra.

"The CM was keen on six medical colleges in the state. There are plans to start one private medical college in Jadavpur and three state-run medical colleges at Kalyani, Baruipur and Malda," said Desai.

The work for the Kalyani medical college has already started and it is being planned along the lines of New Delhi's AIIMS. Dr Ray said the CM was very positive about the suggestions placed by MCI. "He wants the new colleges to have autonomy as he feels it will then be easier for them to admit students and recruit teachers." He added that MCI has also sought clearance from the state for setting up private medical colleges.

The MCI officials told the CM that the 25 acres needed for setting up a medical college need not have to be a single plot but could be spread across two. "But such land can only be available in the rural areas and so, the new colleges will come up on the suburbs rather than cities," Desai said.

Officials, however, felt that a strict vigil by the state government was needed to prevent malpractices like selling of seats at a premium.

Dr K P Choudhury, who heads the KPC Medical College, said they are planning to admit 150 students in the first year. "We can start an MBBS course this year if we get the clearance from MCI," Choudhury said. He said they will have a 750-bed hospital for the medical college.

Health officials said Narula Group, which runs Guru Nanak Institute of Dental College and Research in Panihati, also has plans for a private medical college.

Source:The Times Of India,14-04-08

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