CHENNAI: Health Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran on Saturday said the Government would initiate criminal proceedings against unapproved institutions conducting paramedical certificate and diploma courses.

He told reporters here that to give importance to medical and nursing education in the State, the Government had granted permission to start more Government colleges, and self-financing institutes in the private sector.

It had issued orders to increase the student strength from 2,760 to 5,000 for 11 paramedical certificate courses, as the candidates had to pay higher fees for the courses offered in unapproved institutions that had mushroomed in urban and rural areas. Certificates issued by these institutions had not enabled candidates to get proper placement, he pointed out.

The paramedical certificate and diploma courses would be conducted in this academic year in all the 14 Government medical colleges and the King Institute of Preventive Medicine in Chennai.

The one-year certificate courses to be offered by the medical colleges included courses to train technicians in cardio sonography, ECG/treadmill, emergency care, dialysis, respiratory care, anaesthesia, theatre and radiology, he said. The King Institute would offer a two-year diploma course in medical lab technology.

The Government has decided to reduce the annual fee for paramedical courses from Rs. 2,800 to Rs. 1,450 and for diploma course under self-supporting scheme from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 1,200, Mr. Ramachandran said. Applications along with prospectus would be issued from June 18 onwards and advertisement published in newspapers on June 16. The last date for submission of applications is June 30. Candidates who had passed the higher secondary class with science subjects were eligible for paramedical courses and with maths and science subjects for certified radiological assistant course. In respect of diploma in medical lab technician course, candidates with marks as per the communal rotation were eligible. The certificates issued by these Government institutions would be of much use for the trained candidates to get employment in private hospitals in the country and abroad, he said, asking the students to seek admission only in institutions approved by the Government.

Appointment

According to Mr. Ramachandran, the Government had also decided to appoint retired professors of the Government medical colleges to vacancies in non-clinical and clinical departments where teachers were scarce. They would be given higher remuneration.

For professors and assistant professors in the anatomy, social and preventive medicine and forensic medicine departments, the monthly consolidated salary would be Rs. 50,000. For those belonging to the bio-chemistry, pharmacology and physiology departments, Rs. 45,000 had been fixed. A consolidated pay of Rs.40,000 would be given for professors and assistant professors belonging to microbiology and pathology departments. Professors and assistant professors of anaesthesiology, psychiatry, radiotherapy, physiotherapy and thoracic and chest diseases departments would be given Rs. 35,000, he said.

A G.O. issued on April 30 provided for appointment of 25 per cent of the professors and junior professors on a contract basis for consolidated pay in addition to their pension, he said, adding that the Government wanted to appoint them as per the Medical Council of India's guidelines, against the backdrop of attractive salaries offered by private medical colleges.

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