BANGALORE: Bangalore Medical College (BMC) is getting Rs. 120 crore from the Union and the State Governments for upgrading its facilities.

The Union Government is investing Rs. 100 crore in the college and its associated hospitals while the State Government is releasing Rs. 20 crore. Victoria, Bowring and Lady Curzon, Vani Vilas, Minto and Venkateswara ENT hospitals are attached to the college.

The grants will be used to upgrade the college and the hospitals to the standards maintained by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

It will also be used for strengthening educational and research activities and improving the quality of patient care, according to an official in the Medical Education Department. The project will be implemented in three years.

As part of the project, student intake in the college will probably be increased. At present, the college offers 150 seats. The college hostel will also be upgraded. The college students recently protested against the poor infrastructure in the hostels. In the hospitals, the bed strength will be increased. At the end of the project, the bed strength in the five hospitals put together is expected to be 3,000.

Rajeswari, college principal, says she is happy that the teaching institution was selected for the project. "It is a boon for us," she adds.

The Union Government approached the State Government in April this year, requesting it to choose a teaching hospital for the project. The State Government selected the college because it (college) had the maximum scope for improvement.

The teaching hospital is now preparing a detailed project report. "We have got inputs from all the departments. We are compiling the report," says Ms. Rajeswari. The detailed project report will be submitted to the Union Government by June 12. It will have to be approved by the Cabinet Committee for Economic Affairs.

According to the government official, the State has drawn up a line estimate for the project. Accordingly, Rs. 47 crore will be earmarked for equipment and Rs. 81 crore for civil works. "We are going to buy state-of-the-art equipment for the college and the hospitals. The new equipment will make diagnosis more accurate," the official adds.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail