To address the dearth of postgraduate seats in medical colleges in the state, the government is planning to start at least six new medical colleges, including two dental colleges.
To address the dearth of postgraduate seats in medical colleges in the state, the government is planning to start at least six new medical colleges, including two dental colleges. A team from the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) has already begun surveying regions in Maharashtra which have minimal or no reach to medical colleges and hospitals.
If implemented, the initiative will bring respite to rural Maharashtra, which has few medical facilities. Also, the authorities feel that the services offered in hospitals attached to medical colleges are better than those in public hospitals since young students are keen to learn and make a mark by offering the best service and expertise to the patients.
The six new medical colleges we will be capable of churning out at least 600 doctors every year. Shortage of medical specialists has been a festering problem, and training more doctors will provide a boost to the state in tackling heath issues.
“We are still in the planning stage and are assessing the feasibility of the plan, organising funds, and identifying the areas where the need is the highest,” said Dr WB Tayde, director, DMER. According to him, so far, Vidarbha in Eastern Maharashtra, Konkan and Khandesh in Western Maharashtra, and Mumbai are being considered as locations for the new colleges. “We will soon survey Vidarbha and Konkan,” Tayde said, adding that the new colleges will have an intake of 100 undergraduate students, and will be attached to 500-bed hospitals.
For the dental colleges, the authorities have zeroed in on Konkan and Khandesh. “These two regions have no dental facilities at all and are in the direst need,” said Dr Mansing Pawar, dean, Government Dental College and Hospital. Pawar is also a joint director of DMER.
The decision was taken during the brainstorming sessions of government authorities for ‘Vision 2015’, a planning initiative aimed at making better medical facilities available to the public.
Boosting strength
The government is already in the process of adding 50 seats to existing medical colleges as it is a much viable option compared to opening new medical colleges. There is a proposal to increase the intake of students. The new colleges, say officials, will only be opened in the areas where there is no reach of medical facilities.
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