In a bid to woo voters in the poll-bound Assam and Kerala, the Modi Government is giving priority for upgradation of medical facilities in the two medical colleges in these States.
The Union Health Ministry officials have prepared an itinerary of Union Health Minister JP Nadda that involves laying foundation stones of the two super-speciality blocks in the two medical colleges in Assam and Kerala to be held in a row ie on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, Nadda will be in Kerala where he would lay foundation stone for a Rs150 crore-health project envisaging setting up of super specialities facilities in neurology, neurosurgery, cardiology and cardio thorasic surgery segments among others at the TD medical College in Alappuzha.
Other facilities that would be completed in the next two years will be for nephrology, urology, medical gastroenterology, plastic surgery and endocrinology besides eight operation theatres. The 200-bedded super speciality centre will also have 50 ICU (intensive care units) beds, said the sources in the Ministry.
Next day ie on Sunday, Nadda will be in Guwahati where he will inaugurate Rs150-crore 184-bedded super-spceciality project attached with the Guwahati Medical College. The centre will have sophisticated facilities for pediatric surgery, haematology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, burns and plastic surgery. The centre will have six operation theatres and 160 beds in the intensive care units.
The upgradation of the medical colleges is the part of the Government’s Centrally Sponsored Scheme for Strengthening and Up-gradation of State Government Medical Colleges for increasing PG seats and ensuring better health facilities to the locals.
“The projects will be completed by March 2018 and aims to bridge the gap in the health sector in the states,” the sources said. The two projects are among the 39 Government Medical Colleges/Institutions where upgradation of medical facilities has been approved under Phase III of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Yojna (PMSSY).
The Government has already undertaken upgradation of 13 existing government medical colleges (GMCs) in the first phase and 6 more in the second phase of PMSSY. Under the first phase the Health Ministry has taken up upgradation of 11 medical colleges in as many States.
The upgradation of Govern-ment medical colleges is the part of the PMSSY that aims at correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable and reliable tertiary healthcare services and also to augment facilities for quality medical education across the States.