Karnataka may get 6 more govt medical colleges

The state is likely to get six more government medical colleges in the academic year 2013-14. Of the 11 applications received, the state department of medical education has shortlisted six which have met all the parameters.

“Four more have promised to meet the criteria by Friday evening. So we are sending the inspection committee from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) to inspect,” SA Ramdas, minister for medical education, said.

According to data available, the state department of medical education has received applications from Tumkur, Madikeri, Koppal, Chitradurga, Gadag, Yadgir, Chikkodi, Chikkaballapur, Uttarkannada, Chamrajnagar and KR Nagar (Mysore) districts.

Of these, the applicants from Tumkur, Madkikeri, Koppal, Chitradurga, Chikkodi and Chamrajnagar have met all eligibility criteria while those from Gadag, Yadgir, Chikkaballapur and Uttarkannada have promised to fulfil them by Friday evening. The government, however, rejected the application submitted by Srirama Cooperative Society of KR Nagar.

“Since they have failed to run the sugar factory properly, how can we provide a medical college to them? So we have decided not to consider their application,” said Ramdas.

Once the RGUHS committee submits its report, the medical education department will forward the applications through the state government to the Union government for approval .
According to the Medical Education Norms (MCI) to sanction a medical college, each  applicant should have 25 acres of land and a 300-bedded hospital. For hill stations, the land area should be 10 acres in the hospital premises and another 10 acres in 10 km surrounding it.

Meantime, there are six applications pending before the RGUHS to set up private medical colleges in the state.

Initially, there were nine applications of which three were later withdrawn.

UG, PG seats upFor the academic year 2013-14, the state will get more undergraduate and postgraduate seats.

The government will begin postgraduate courses in six government medical colleges which are offering only undergraduate courses. The postgraduate courses will be offered at government medical colleges in Mandya, Shimoga, Hassan, Bidar and Raichur.

The 10 existing medical colleges will see an increase of 250 seats for postgraduate courses. Applications have been submitted for increasing undergraduate seats in various government medical colleges.

“For the year 2013-14, there will be an increase of about 600 seats in the nine government medical colleges. We have already informed the authorities concerned to recruit the required staff for the same,” Ramdas said.