In Government Medical College, Rajkot, Gujarat, the upgradation work is yet to commence due to non-availability of a site
Most of the government medical colleges and institutions getting upgraded under Phase-III of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) are running far behind schedule. Work at some of the medical colleges has not even started or are progressing at a snail’s pace, according to the latest status report of PMSSY available with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
For instance, upgradation of Srikrishna Medical College, Muzaffarapur, Bihar has seen only two per cent completion, despite having a deadline of May 31, 2018. The status report states that there is a delay in cutting of trees coming in the premises of the college.
Yet another medical college in Bihar i.e., Government Medical College, Darbhanga, is running late because there is a delay in shifting of underground utilities and existing structures. In Government Medical College, Rajkot, Gujarat, the upgradation work is yet to commence due to non-availability of a site. Similarly, the existing structures have not been dismantled so far and local bodies have not yet given approval for the construction work inside VSS Medical College, Burla, Odisha, and Punjab Government Medical College, Patiala.
Interestingly, the shifting of water pipelines and open drains are the reasons why the upgradation of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Adilabad, Telangana has been delayed, although it is slated to be completed by January 2018. Only 10 per cent of the work has been done so far. The scenario is no different in Government Medical College, Malda, West Bengal, where the authorities have no clear idea of the site, as a hostel for nurses at the site is being demolished by the college. On similar lines, shifting of services has taken so long that the completion of the upgradation of North Bengal Medical College, Siliguri, Darjeeling, West Bengal will, in all probability, not be able to meet its January 2018 deadline.
Only 17 per cent of the renovation work to be done at Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Bellary, Karnataka, has seen completion so far; the deadline for its upgradation is September this year. The medical college is supposed to obtain permission for electric connection for their trauma centre, which is being delayed by the local authorities. The Government Medical College, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh is nearing its deadline in October and has seen only 21 per cent completion.
PMSSY is a Central Sector Scheme and has two components. First, to set up All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-like Institutions (also delayed); second, upgradation of existing government medical colleges. While the first one is fully funded by the Centre, the upgradation projects are being funded by the respective states along with Centre. About 73 government medical colleges and institutes have already been approved for upgradation in different phases under PMSSY.
As far as delay in establishing AIIMS-like institutions is concerned, the Union Health Ministry said that the non-availability of land has been delaying the government’s plans to set them up in Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, and Bihar. “Problems cropped up in setting up of an AIIMS-like institute in Assam despite the land being identified there, owing to objections raised by the National Green Tribunal (NGT),” CK Mishra, Health Secretary said.
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