The State Government has earmarked Balasore, Baripada, Balangir and Koraput for setting up new medical colleges under the Central scheme in the 12th Five- Year Plan.
It has decided to upgrade the existing district headquarters hospitals (DHHs) in the regions to the medical colleges. A formal proposal for approval of these four places for the new institutions has been sent to the Centre by the State Health and Family Welfare Department.
“Odisha with three Government and four private medical colleges is lagging behind other states in terms of extending medical education. This has also led to a dearth of adequate medical professionals, thereby adversely affecting the patient care in the State,” Health Secretary PK Mohapatra has reasoned.
The Working Group on Tertiary Care Institutions of the Planning Commission has proposed to set up 50 new medical colleges in the country by 2017, the end of the Plan period. The objective is to increase the number of doctors both at the under graduate and PG level apart from expanding speciality healthcare facilities to the grassroots.
There are around 335 medical colleges with 2-lakh bed strength in the country at present. The average doctor population ratio is 1:2,000. The target is to bring the ratio to 1:1,000. Besides the 50 new medical colleges about 100 existing medical colleges are proposed to be upgraded while doubling intake at MBBS and PG levels.
In Odisha the situation is of great concern as the doctor population ratio is 1:7,339. There are around 16,850 doctors in the State, which is bogged down by an acute shortage of medical personnel.
According to the State Government’s plans, these DHHs will be upgraded to medical colleges with a minimum of 100 seats each. The size of the medical colleges would, however, depend on the funding. Though the institutions are proposed to be set up with Centre contributing 75 per cent of funding and the State 25 per cent, the actual share is yet to be finalised.
The location of the colleges would also undergo further examination.
Though they will be linked to the DHHs, separate hospitals could also be explored if sufficient land is not available with the DHHs.
As per MCI stipulations, a minimum of 20 acres is needed for an MCH. The Centre can also recommend other areas for setting up of the colleges.
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