ESIC medical college in Mandi to be closed

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Tribune News Service

Mandi, January 9

The Union Labour Ministry has decided to close down the ESIC Medical College and Hospital at Nerchowk near here.

Spread over an area of more than 31 acres on National Highway 21, the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) had already spent nearly Rs 700 crore in building the infrastructure.

Dr DS Dhiman, Dean of the hospital, said the Union Labour Ministry had decided to exit from the field of medical education.

At a meeting at Baddi in Solan district last evening, AK Agarwal, Director General, ESIC, had said a proposal would be sent to the state government to take over the college.

The medical college and 500-bed hospital was to be made operational in 2011 and the first batch of the MBBS course was to start from 2014-15 academic session.

The foundation stone of the hospital was laid by the then Union Labour and Employment Minister Oscar Fernandes in February 2009 and also inaugurated the hospital in March this year.

In a letter to the deans and medical superintendents of all ESIC medical, dental and nursing colleges and paramedical institutions, Dr Vivek Handa, Deputy Medical Commissioner, ESIC, had said at its 163rd meeting in Delhi recently that the medical education was not the core function of the ESIC.

He said the corporation had decided to hand over ongoing medical colleges and other medical education institutions to the state government willing for such transfer.

“The ESIC will not take further admissions in the medical colleges and other institutions and all ongoing medical education programmes will continue till the admitted students pass out or they are adjusted as per provisions of the essential certificate issued by the state government,” Dr Handa added.

Pro-Pak slogan dots college wall

Resentment prevails in the area after some unscrupulous elements wrote a pro-Pakistani slogan in the medical college.

Sources said ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ was written in a room on the third floor of the medical college. Also, some foul language was written below the slogan, the sources said.

The police said a case under Sections 153-A and 124-A of the IPC had been registered at the Balh police station and further investigation was on.