Kerala - Alappuzha   

`Medical colleges need financial independence'

Staff Reporter

Administrative procedures bogging them down: Ekbal

ALAPPUZHA: B. Ekbal, chairman of a committee looking into the formation of a medical university and improvement of medical colleges in the State, has opined that the Government medical colleges should get financial and administrative independence.

He was speaking to presspersons on the Vandanum Government Medical College campus here on Wednesday, after holding discussions with experts and representatives of various sections.

Dr. Ekbal said complexity in administrative procedures was the biggest problem faced by the medical colleges. According to the feedback received by the committee after visiting various medical college of the State, the problems faced by them could be solved only by more administrative and financial independence.

Dr, Ekbal said the committee had held discussions with medical experts, representatives of people, health workers and others on the proposed medical university. The structure of the university had not been finalised. A large percentage of experts who interacted with the committee had opined that it should start centres, in addition to giving affiliation to medical colleges. They also demanded that the centres have facilities for research in modern branches of medicine and related topics.

He said the committee would think of giving special status to Government medical colleges in the proposed university. It would also have medical colleges in the private and self-financing sectors. But there was a need for giving the rightful status to Government medical colleges while providing affiliation.

He noted that the medical colleges in the State were in a problematic condition. A large number of them lacked facilities befitting their status. They had only facilities found in taluk or district hospitals.

Dr. Ekbal said the committee would prepare a list of minimum facilities needed at medical colleges and would recommend the Government to provide them.

He said shortage of staff was the most serious problem faced by the medical colleges. It was most severe in Alappuzha medical college, followed by Kottayam and Kozhikode colleges, he said. The number of seats in postgraduate courses in anaesthesia, orthopaedics and psychiatry needed to be increased. New courses in modern disciplines of medical science needed to be started.

Mr. Ekbal said the committee would recommend starting pharmacy colleges and institutes offering paramedical courses, along with medical colleges. He said a medical ombudsman should be appointed to deal with problems occurring in medical colleges. He suggested that a medical grants commission be formed.

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