Updated on: Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Rajya Sabha was told today that Government is making efforts to start medical colleges in four AIIMS-like institutes within this year and operationalise hospitals from next year.
In the first phase of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Surakasha Yojna, Government had decided in 2006 to set up six AIIMS-like institutes, one each in Patna, Raipur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur and Rishikesh
Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said during the Question Hour that the government was trying that four of them start medical college from the current year and hospital from the next year.
The minister also said there was no dearth of faculty for AIIMS-like institutes in the country.
He said, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has been told that, to encourage doctors of Indian origin practicing abroad to work with government institutes, they should be allowed private practice, if they opt to work with such institutes.
On appointment of directors to AIIMS-like institutes, Azad said only two of the appointed directors agreed to join (Patna and Bhopal). Since, the other four refused to go to different places, the appointment process for the remaining four would take place by the end of this month or early April.
In 2009, the government further decided to set up two more AIIMS-like institutes at Raiganj in West Bengal and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh.
To a query regarding the institute in West Bengal, Azad said the state government has not yet acquired land for the projects. The minister said he had made several communication in this regard to the present as well as past governments.