HASSAN: The dream of the people of Malnad region of having a government medical college in Hassan is likely to come true this academic year.

The Union Health Ministry, which cleared new medical colleges of Belgaum and Mandya, based on the recommendations of Medical Council of India (MCI) recently, had rejected applications to start medical colleges in Raichur, Hassan, Bidar and Shimoga on the grounds of inadequate staff and infrastructure.

The State Government and students filed a petition in the Supreme Court saying that although the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) was having all facilities, which were being provided in Belgaum and Mandya colleges, the council had refused to grant permission to start the college in this academic year.

They appealed to the court to direct the MCI to conduct another inspection before taking a final decision.

In view of this, another team from MCI, comprising Vyas, Kalanidhi and Shaw visited Hassan on Tuesday to check whether HIMS has all the pre-requisites stipulated to start a medical college.

Sources said that the team was satisfied with the progress of work, and in all probability, it would recommend the Union Health Ministry to accord permission to start the college from this academic year.

The MCI team had rejected the application of HIMS on the grounds that, there was a shortage in faculty, and nursing and paramedical staff.

Shortage of beds

It had observed that there was a shortage of 36 teaching beds in general medicine, paediatrics, surgery and ENT departments.

It was pointed out that the medical college, lecture theatres, common rooms, animal houses, central library and central photographic units were still under construction. The pre-clinical departments of anatomy, physiology and biochemistry were not complete.

In two months, the Minister for Public Works and Energy H.D. Revanna, tried to attend to the adequacies pointed out by MCI, including shortage of faculty and nursing and paramedical staff, by deputing persons from Bangalore Medical College.

He told presspersons here on Tuesday that Govindaraj, orthopaedic surgeon of Bangalore Medical College had been appointed new principal and work on the building was progressing fast.

First phase

The work on the first phase of the college would be completed by November and that on the second stage commence in the next two months.

The estimated cost of first phase was Rs. 22 crore and work to the extent of Rs. 7.75 crore had been completed. Bills to the tune of Rs. 14.50 crore to the contractor had also been cleared, he said. The Government gave approval for taking up second phase of construction at a cost of Rs. 40 crore recently. A Rs. 10-crore proposal had been sent to Karnataka Health System Development Board for upgradation of Shrichamarajendra district hospital.

A sum of Rs. 1.50 crore had been spent on purchase of necessary equipment, he said. Efforts had been made to start a government medical college in Shimoga in this academic year and MCI had been requested to accord permission to help students from rural areas, he said.

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