Despite hurdles SAIL Bokaro continues its efforts to establish a medical college; SAIL Rourkela ignores CM’s request for setting up a medical college in Rourkela
Following is an excerpt from a report in Times of India.
Bokaro Steel Ltd (BSL) has expedited the process of turning the 910-bed Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) into a state-of-the-art medical college.
Without setting a fixed deadline as of now, BSL a unit of SAIL wants to set up the college on public-private-partnership (PPP) basis. The state government is also providing its best possible support to BSL in setting up the college.
According to a senior BSL official, the company has initiated the process to enter into collaboration with private medical colleges for setting up the college. Talks between BSL management and premier medical colleges like Manipal Medical College, Karnataka, D Y Patil, Mumbai, Bhartiya Vidyapeeth, Pune, and Sri Ram Chandra Medical College, Chennai, are now in its final stages. A deal will soon be finalized with any one of the institutions, said the official.
The medical college for doctoral aspirants from the state is a dream project of BSL managing director S S Mohanty. However, BSL had earlier also initiated the process of setting up the medical college under the banner of Bokaro Ispat Education Trust but it was turned down for not fulfilling certain criteria as required by Medical Council of India.
However, BSL management has again formed a committee, which is working on preparing terms and conditions of the MoU that is to be signed with the institution. The committee members have already negotiated verbally with several medical institutions in this regard. The committee has received letters of interest from Manipal and D Y Patil Medical colleges while others have sent their assurance verbally.
Under the joint venture, the official said, BSL will provide its infrastructure (hospital) and other arrangements for bedside teaching facility to the institution, which will come up with its own building for classrooms, manpower and other essential facilities. BSL will provide the land on 99-year lease to the institution.
BGH has a huge potential to be developed as a medical college in this region. Around 11 lakh patients have undergone treatment in BGH in the last financial year alone.
Contrast this with SAIL Rourkela and Odisha. In https://www.orissalinks.com/archives/4625 we reported that the Odisha government was pushing for a medical college at SAIL Rourkela. But so far nothing has come out of it. See also the news item at http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110108/jsp/orissa/story_13406872.jsp.
Considering that IGH already is a 685 bed hospital it can easily accommodate a medical college. SAIL Rourkela and IGH need to learn from the efforts at SAIL Bokaro and pursue establishing a medical college.
November 21st, 2011
