Port Blair, Nov 19: The Medical Council of India(MCI) has relaxed the norms for setting up Medical colleges in both rural and urban areas. Interacting with the Media persons at Regional Medical Research Centre of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at Port Blair on Sunday, S K Rao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family welfare informed that the norms were relaxed for setting up new medical colleges in the remotest corners of the country like Andamans. He informed that seventy percent of Medical colleges in India are situated only in the states of Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat, where as most of the other parts of the country, particularly North Eastern states and Andaman and Nicobar Islands do not have even a single Medical college. To facilitate the opening of more Medical Colleges in such areas, the Medical council relaxed the land requirement of 24 acres by reducing it in to 20 acres, that too in two pieces, he added. Accordingly, the proposed college may have the hospital and college premises in two different locations, but within the distance of 10 kms. Besides, the council increased the seats considerably, to enable the college to accommodate more students in different courses.
He further said that the council has laid down the condition that only the Government and Charitable institutions can apply for the permission to open Medical colleges, in order to discourage the unscrupulous persons with business motive. The applications seeking permission for Medical colleges will be received by the council during the month of August, followed by the inspection of premises in December- January every year. Initially the council issues the permission in March-April, but the recognition will be granted only after having satisfied with the performance of the college for the next five years consecutively. “Though the Colleges can be opened with 300 bedded hospital initially, the inpatient capacity has to be increased by 100 beds every year to make it a 700 bedded hospital by the end of five years” , said S K Rao.
Regarding the delay in opening the Medical college at Port Blair, he said the prescribed norms for the teaching faculty, Laboratories and other infrastructure have to be fulfilled to get the permission from the council even if the proposed college acquired the required land. He also assured that the government would extend all the possible support to open the Medical colleges in the difficult regions like Andamans.
He also revealed that the Union Ministry of Health has already classified the rural areas as hilly, difficult and most difficult areas. In the difficult and most difficult areas, the private sector is allowed to set up medical colleges by using the existing the Government hospitals in those areas. However, these colleges can be established only through public-private partnership.
Dr P Vijayachari, Director of Regional Medical Research Centre was also present during the interaction. (PIB)
