Himachal Pradesh Health Science University Bill 2017, unanimously cleared by the Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Friday will regulate medical education in the hill State.
Introducing the bill in assembly, Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said that the university would regulate all the State Government run and Private Medical colleges, Nursing, Pharmacy and other health institutions in the State.
Thakur said that the bill would bring uniformity in the field of health education and promote and carry out research in various discipline of health science. He informed the house that the university would be set up at ESI Hospital, Nehar choke in Mandi district as State Government has built up the desired infrastructure there.
The Minister said that about 150 seats were allowed by the MCI at ESI medical colleges in which 75 percent would be reserved for State and 25 percent for other States.
He said that university would provide latest health care facilities and health education like Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka.
Refusing a demand of opposition for considering autonomous status to IGMC, Shimla, Thakur said that State Government was converting the institutions to Super-speciality and it would also work under the University itself.
The Health Minister made it clear that the MM Medical College and Hospital, Solan would also come under the aegis of the upcoming State university. He said that barring MM hospital and college, the Himachal Pradesh University was regulating the health education at Government and private colleges in the State.
He said that including two existing medical colleges, two new State medical colleges would start functioning at Chamba and Nahan soon. Minister said more than 650 posts of doctors were lying vacant due to shortage of trained staff and Government had been appointing as much doctors as were available.