Haryana health department says no more private medical colleges to be opened in state
The Haryana state health department had earlier expressed concern over lack of control over private medical colleges.
However, this time the decision to not allow any more private medical institutions to be opened, is quite strong after a meeting of the health and medical education & research departments took place on April 5. The decision now requires the state government’s approval.
Confirming this decision, Health Minister Anil Vij said that the state government lacked control over private medical universities and deemed universities, even as they played with the future of students. The health department has at present taken a decision in principle and is awaiting the government’s approval in the matter.
The state of Haryana has two functional private medical universities – Maharishi Markandeshwar University in Mullana and the SGT University in Gurgaon. The health deparment’s decision comes after Gold Field Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Faridabad closed earlier this year. The college ran a 100 seat MBBS course. While the state department got permissions from the Centre and the MCI to accomodate the students from this college, it has taken the situation very seriously.
In the April 5 meeting, the health department decided that even if it had to grant permission for medical colleges in the future, it would ensure the following –
1. Organizations behind the project would need to provide bonds of upto Rs. 50 crore as security, so that in case the college closed down the state government could take care of the students future.
2. All existing colleges would be affiliated to Post Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak.
Other Health Dept. Initiatives
Alongside this major decision, a six-month radiology will be started at PGIMS Rohtak to counter the acute shortage of radiologists. The health department will also look to adopt its own set of norms rather than the Punjab Nursing Council Act. The act needs the Haryana government to select nine representatives from 16 specific organizations of which 15 are located in Punjab. For this Vij said that Haryana cannot choose its Nursing Council members from Punjab organisations.
The state of Haryana is waiting for this Act to be amended. He stated the importance of Haryana’s own council to track the number of nursing schols being opened in the state and monitor who was taking the nursing exams.
With inputs from The Indian Express
Image Credits – The Hindu