Delay in appointments may prolong opening of medical varsity in Kutail
Parveen Arora
Karnal, July 12
After missing five deadlines in five years, the construction of the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay University of Health Sciences, Kutail, is nearing completion. However, the faculty is yet to be appointed. The delay in the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor, faculty, and officials may delay the opening of the university. Authorities confirmed that construction would be finished by July 31, and thereafter, the agency would hand over the building to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).
Initially scheduled for completion by January 2022, the project faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, extending deadlines to September 2022 and then January 2023, which was further extended to August 2023. There were two more delays when its completion was moved to December 2023, which was further extended to July 2024. The government had planned to start the OPD earlier in January and then in July this year with the faculty members of the Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC); however, it could not be started.
Current status
- Missed five deadlines in 5 yrs
- Appointments of the V-C, faculty, and officials yet to be made
- Buildings for nursing and physiotherapy colleges have already been completed
- Courses in BSC (nursing) and Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) have begun
The buildings for nursing and physiotherapy colleges have already been completed, and classes of four-year courses in BSC (Nursing) with 181 students and Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) with 113 students have begun in the building, said an official.
However, the DMER has initiated the process to procure equipment with a budget of nearly Rs 500 crore. In the first phase, equipment worth Rs 400 crore would be purchased, for which work allotment has been done.
The authorities said that for the recruitment of regular faculty, they have sent a file to the government, and for the other staff, it would be done under Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, adding that a committee has already been constituted.
A senior official said that the appointment of a V-C was essential to proceeding with the university’s operations. In the first phase, 1,535 employees, including 250 key faculty members, would be recruited.
“Officials are pushing to complete all work before the enforcement of the model code of conduct,” said an official.
“We are working to start the university as soon as possible. Construction work is almost complete, and an agency has been appointed for the procurement of medical equipment. Simultaneously, we are also working to recruit regular and contractual staff,” said Director General of Medical Education and Research, Dr Saket Kumar.
The university will have an academic block for postgraduate and postdoctoral teaching, along with research departments such as biotechnology, experimental medicine, and an advanced research centre in genetics, immunology and virology. It would also have other educational institutions like a dental college, a college of pharmacy, a mental health institute, and institute for sports medicine.
Apart from a 750-bed super specialty hospital, a library, hostels, residential buildings for doctors and staff members, an administrative block, a nursing college, and a college of physiotherapy, are also a part of the premises.
Former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced the project on December 13, 2014, soon after assuming charge as CM during his first tenure. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for this project on February 12, 2019. The construction of the building is being done at a cost of Rs 761.51 crore on approximately 131 acres.
