Chandigarh : Center denied establishing New Medical College, due to already existing one

Chandigarh: The proposal of Chandigarh Administration for a second medical college i.e to upgrade Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16 had been rejected by the center. The decision was made on the grounds of already existing medical college in Chandigarh.

In response to the proposal ,the UT health secretary Yashpal Garg stated , "It has been rejected on the grounds that Chandigarh already has a medical college, and as per the policy, a district can only have one government medical college."

The Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32 — offers 150 MBBS seats and 125 seats for postgraduate (PG) programmes. The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) which is a central government institute, offers PG courses with nearly 310 seats.

Last year in January, the administration announced its intent to establish a medical college at GMSH, seeking the Centre's approval for 100 MBBS seats. Soon, The UT Health Department approached the National Medical Commission and also submitted a report specifying the details of the project to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The administration also held discussions on the issue with Niti Aayog.

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The NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) serves as the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India, and the nodal agency tasked with catalyzing economic development, and fostering cooperative federalism through the involvement of State Governments of India in the economic policy-making process using a bottom-up approach.

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As per reports in The Hindustan Times, The 500-bed GMSH is spread over 12 acres. The new medical college was proposed to have two branches — one at the hospital and another at Sarangpur. According to the administration's plan, GMSH's medical and health facilities were be utilized for the college. Additional infrastructure, such as academic block and libraries, was to come up on spare land on the existing compound.

Rest of the infrastructure required for running the college, such as office spaces, was to come up at Sarangpur, where the administration had even earmarked a 15-acre site. With land obtained for free from the administration, the total cost of the project was to be limited to construction expenses. The proposal also included an increase in the strength of doctors and other staff in the hospital.