Brownfield Medical College Policy amended! 7 New Medical Colleges to Come Up in Gujarat

Gandhinagar: Bringing good news to the medical aspirants in Gujarat, seven new medical colleges are going up be set up in the State as the Government has amended its brownfield medical college policy.

Confirming this, the State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel recently said that with the amended policy, seven new medical colleges will be started in Botad, Devbhumi Dwarka, Gir-Somnath, Kheda-Nadiad, Chhota Udepur, Mahisagar-Lunawada, and Dang-Ahwa.

The decision in this regard was taken at a cabinet meeting held at Gandhinagar under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, Desh Gujarat has reported.

The Brownfield Medical College Policy was introduced by the State Government in 2016 to start new medical colleges at the district-level government hospitals. At present, Gujarat has seven functional brownfield medical colleges including Palanpur (Banaskantha), Amreli, Dahod, Bharuch, and Tapi-Vyara.

Also Read: UP to set up New Medical Colleges- 1 each with 100 MBBS seats in Baghpat, Hathras, Kasganj

Indian Express has reported that as per the amended policy, now the hospital will have to provide free medical treatment to pregnant woman till 20 days of delivery and children up to one year. For this purpose, the hospital has to set up a neonatal intensive care unit and a unit of 10 beds for dialysis-related services.

Further, as per the amended policy, the blood bank at the hospital will have to be continued even after the formation of a medical college and the patients will have to be provided blood as per the requirement free of cost.

The State Government will not provide any financial assistance under the new policy to the person or institute to expand the hospital in order to fulfill the requirement of a minimum of 300 beds. The hospital will have to implement all the schemes of the State and the Central Governments without getting any schematic funds.

However, the hospital shall be entitled to retain the income under the PMJAY scheme. Twenty-five percent of the gross amount of the income generated from the diagnosis fee for the treatment provided to the patients in that hospital and the PMJAY fee shall be deposited in the patient welfare committee, Desh Gujarat has reported.

Further, the hospital will have Rogi Kalyan Samiti and the institute will have to strictly implement the Gujarat Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2021 and its rules, as amended from time to time, promulgated by the State Government.

Desh Gujarat has reported that all treatments except heart, brain, cancer and organ transplant, cochlear implant shall be given free of cost in case of students referred under the school health programme. Further, the blood bank at the hospital shall be continued compulsorily even after Brown Field Medical College is established. Free blood shall be provided to all as per requirement considering the need patient's need and priority to the nearby government institutes as per requirement without any discrimination.

After the organization take over the management of the hospital, trauma patients and vehicle accident patients will have to be compulsorily given free treatment.

Earlier this year, the former Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had shared the details regarding the availability of medical seats. As per the data, Gujarat has altogether 40 medical colleges with an intake capacity of 7150 MBBS and 2010 PG medical seats. Among these, 23 Governmenty medical colleges have 4250 MBBS seats. Further, the State also has 17 private medical colleges with an intake capacity of 2900 MBBS seats.

Also Read: 3 New Private Medical Colleges to Come Up in Gujarat, 400 MBBS seats to be added