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Government hospital, college not to be privatised

PUDUCHERRY: Minister for Health E.Valsaraj on Tuesday categorically denied that the government had any proposal to privatise the Women and Child Hospital or the Puducherry Kamarajar Medical College and Research Institute (PKMCRI).

He told reporters here that implementation of both the projects was getting delayed owing to paucity of funds.

The entire Cabinet stood for an early completion of these projects, he said in the presence of Minister for Power and Industry V.Vaithilingam and Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao.

Referring to reports in this regard, he said the Health Department had sent files to the Finance Department seeking immediate release of Rs.3 crore for the Women and Child Hospital.

The project would need Rs.9 to 10 crore for its completion. Allocation of Rs.5 crore for the PKMCRI project this year could be used only for disbursal of salaries to the staff, he added.

To queries on allocation of seats for government quota in the private medical colleges, Mr.Valsaraj said though all these colleges barring three deemed universities had come forward to earmark 311 seats as it was done last year, efforts were still on to persuade them to allocate 50 per cent of the total seats.

On the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s demand that the private medical colleges should earmark 65 per cent of seats for the government quota as in Tamil Nadu, he said only the three medical colleges in the private sector in that State had been doing so.

Though the deemed universities in Tamil Nadu had not reserved any seat for the government quota, 36 seats were allocated for the candidates admitted through the Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) in the Union Territory last year, he pointed out. This year also they would be asked to part with seats for the CENTAC, he said.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) had statutory powers to confer the deemed university status on institutions, he said, recalling that the commission had made its position clear in response to the Chief Minister’s letter suggesting that the territorial government should be consulted in this regard.

Even while granting no-objection certificates to the private medical colleges and deemed universities, the managements were asked to allot 50 per cent of the seats to the government quota, he said. The Medical Council of India through a letter had said that 14 students admitted in the private medical colleges last year should not be allowed to continue their studies as they had failed to secure 50 per cent marks in both the qualifying examination and the entrance test, he said.

Replying to questions on reports relating to babies missing from the government maternity hospital, Mr.Valsaraj said he had asked the Director of Health and Family Welfare to call a meeting of medical and other personnel concerned shortly to find ways and means to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Steps would be taken to tighten security in the hospital, he added.

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