State lacks plan to avail of Centre’s scheme

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29

Punjab has no plan in place to utilise the Government of India’s offer to upgrade district hospitals to medical colleges despite three district hospitals in the state qualifying in this regard.

With the aim to ensure availability of more MBBS seats for students who cannot afford costly medical education in the private sector, the Union Health Ministry had introduced a centrally sponsored scheme for the “establishment of new medical colleges by upgrading district/referral hospitals”.

Under this scheme, the major portion of funding was to come from the central government and the state was to contribute just 25 per cent.

As per the criteria, the Centre had offered to upgrade those district hospitals into medical colleges which had 200 or more beds.

In Punjab, three district hospitals fall in that category.

Dr Bhag Mal, Director, health services, Punjab, said that three district hospitals in Jalandhar, SAS Nagar and Ludhiana have more than 200 beds.

Husan Lal, secretary, medical education and research, said that that they had no plan in this regard so far.

In the past, several meritorious candidates have been seen not taking admission in private medical colleges as the fee for MBBS in private colleges is Rs 2.4 lakh. In contrast, it is just Rs 80,000 in government colleges.