In a major development which would provide a big boost to the health services in Uttarakhand the union ministry of health and family welfare has provided in principle acceptance to the proposal for a government medical college in Kotdwar town of Pauri district.
The approval for the college was recently given by the empowerment committee of the Union health ministry. The approval is significant since the union health ministry has already given its permission for construction of medical colleges in Haridwar, Rudrapur and Pithoragarh.
Apart from them the construction work on building and development of other infrastructure for Medical College in Almora is almost complete. In Haridwar, Rudrapur and Pithoragarh the land for the medical college has been earmarked.
At present there are three functional Government medical colleges in Uttarakhand, the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Government Medical College Srinagar, Government Medical College Haldwani and the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Dehradun. After completion of the five approved colleges, the state would have eight government medical colleges.
The setting up of a full-fledged medical college is a complex and long drawn out process. After approval by the government the work on construction of buildings and other infrastructure is done.
An estimated budget of Rs 350 Crore is needed for setting up a medical college. Apart from it the college should have an attached hospital with multi speciality treatment facility and capacity to admit 300 IPD patients. After construction of college building, hospital and other set up the state government requests the Medical Council of India (MCI) for award of Letter of Permission (LoP). A high powered team of MCI inspects the facility and on the basis of various parameters approves or rejects the request of LoP.
When the LoP is granted the ministry of health allows that particular college to admit students for the Ist year MBBS course from the merit list of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
The LOP is provided to the college by the Ministry of Health and family welfare, Government of India on the condition that the college would have to continuously upgrade its facilities and invite the MCI team for renewal of permission for next four years.
The college concerned would have to continuously upgrade the facilities in the associated hospital and medical college for these renewals.