Puttur Government Medical College expected to begin operations in 2027-28

Puttur: Puttur Government Hospital will expand from its current 100-bed capacity to 220 beds as part of preparations for the proposed Puttur Government Medical College and Research Centre (PMCRI), expected to begin operations in the 2027-28 academic year.

The government aims to commence academic activities at the medical college in November 2027 with an initial intake of 50 students, even before the construction of its permanent campus is completed. As a temporary arrangement, the government has identified the old court building adjacent to the district government hospital to house the medical college. 

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Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai has secured government approval for the temporary arrangement, under which the Medical Education Department plans to begin academic activities without waiting for the completion of the permanent infrastructure.

According to Udayavani, the State Health and Family Welfare Department has approved the use of Puttur Government Hospital to support the proposed medical college. Separate funding of Rs 8.80 crore has been sanctioned for renovating the old court building and expanding the government hospital. The existing 100-bed government hospital will be upgraded to a 220-bed facility to meet the requirements of the medical college hospital.

For this purpose, the Health Department has taken possession of the old taluk office building located adjacent to the existing hospital. Renovation work is currently underway to convert the building into general wards.

The renovation includes repairs to the roof, walls and flooring. Arrangements are also being made to establish a direct connection between the renovated building and the existing hospital to ensure convenient movement of patients and medical staff.

The old court building, located next to the government hospital, has been identified as the temporary premises for the proposed medical college.

Meanwhile, the old court building has been handed over to the Special Officer of Puttur Government Medical College and the Medical Superintendent/Administrative Medical Officer of the government hospital. It has subsequently been transferred to the Health Department's Engineering Division for the necessary renovation work before being used as the temporary premises of the medical college.

The old building currently being renovated for hospital use has a long administrative history. It was originally constructed as a sub-jail during British rule. A taluk magistrate's office was later established beside it.

After Independence, the sub-jail was shifted to Mangaluru, and the building was converted into the Puttur taluk office. Following the construction of the Mini Vidhana Soudha, the taluk office moved to the new premises, leaving the old building vacant.

The building was subsequently used by a government women's college sanctioned for Puttur. However, after the institution shifted to Boluvar, the structure remained unused until it was identified for the present hospital expansion project.

MLA Ashok Kumar Rai said the government was committed to starting the medical college in the next academic year, with temporary infrastructure arrangements already being put in place.

"We have planned to start the government medical college in Puttur in the next academic year with 50 students. Classes will initially be conducted in the old court building, while the government hospital will be upgraded to a 220-bed facility and converted into a medical college hospital. The plan is to shift the medical college and hospital to their new buildings in the second year," he said, reports Udayavani.

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