V.S. Acharya

HUBLI: The Government has invited private educational institutions to set up medical colleges in seven districts of the State. Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, Medical Education Minister V.S. Acharya said there were no medical colleges in Chikmagalur, Chamarajnagar, Kodagu, Koppal, Haveri, Gadag and Uttara Kannada districts.

The Government had drawn up plans to have medical colleges in all the districts of the State. While it had begun the process with establishing government medical colleges, it wanted private institutions to join hands in the endeavour. As many as three institutions had shown interest in establishing a medical college in Uttara Kannada, he said.

Dr. Acharya claimed that everybody except the Opposition were happy with the seat sharing formula chalked out by the coalition Government and it would improve the formula further. To a question, he said the process would be started immediately by involving the stakeholders in the discussions. To another question, the Minister said action would be taken on dental colleges against which the Dental Council of India had recommended disciplinary steps.

Dr. Acharya said in view of the increase in the price of new generation medicines, the Government was thinking of increasing grants given to government hospitals for purchase of such medicines.

Dr. Acharya said several members of the alumni association of Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) were keen on contributing to the golden jubilee celebrations of the institute, which would complete 50 years of its founding next year.

There would be a year-long celebrations during 2007-08, he said.

There was also a proposal to build a silver jubilee block for which the alumni association would contribute Rs. 8 lakh, he said.

The Government would make efforts to give appropriate grants for the project, he said.

Dr. Acharya said the Government would set up a catheter laboratory and a trauma centre at KIMS as a golden jubilee gift. He said the laboratory would be set up before March 31 and added that cardiologists from Jayadeva Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences would train doctors and also share their experience at the facility.

Giving details about the psychiatry wing of KIMS, for which he laid the foundation stone earlier, Dr. Acharya said the new wing would become functional in another six months.

Setting up the psychiatry wing involved taking up civil works worth Rs. 52 lakh and equipment worth Rs. 22 lakh. The Union Government had given a grant of Rs. 50 lakh for the purpose, he said.

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