Maharashtra Govt consolidates hospital bed capacities to advance proposal for new Medical College
Mumbai: In a significant move aimed at advancing the approval process for a new 100-seat medical college, the state has consolidated the bed capacities of two prominent hospitals, GT Hospital in Dhobi Talao and Cama and Albless Hospital in Fort. It will increase the number of beds to 1,026 beds.
This consolidation came as part of the state government's efforts to revive a proposal, dormant since 2011, to establish a new medical college at GT Hospital. The proposal gained momentum last November. The initial plan was to offer MBBS degrees and later it was expanded to post-graduate and specialized programs.
Under the revised plan, the renowned JJ Group of Hospitals will oversee only two hospitals, JJ Hospital and St George. At the same time, GT Hospital and Cama and Albless will function as a separate entity. Dr Jeetendra Sankpal, a famous surgeon, has been appointed as the dean of the proposed institute, tentatively named Government Medical College, Mumbai. The institute is poised to commence operations from Cama and Albless for the first two years, reports The Times of India.
The inspection by the National Medical Commission is pending but it might take place any day now. “Campuses of both these hospitals are being spruced for the NMC inspection,” said an official. Explaining the rationale behind this decision, Dr Sankpal cited the availability of more lecture rooms at Cama & Albless, which aligns with the non-clinical focus of the initial two years of the curriculum. “The initial two years are mostly focussed on non-clinical cases, so the classes can be conducted from Cama, Later as clinical subjects are initiated, the classes will be conducted from GT Hospital,” said Dr Sankpal. As the institute progresses to clinical subjects, classes will transition to GT Hospital, reports The Daily.
Officials from the medical education department have confirmed that hostel spaces for students have been identified in GT Hospital. Addressing the infrastructure concerns, a state official stated that there would be a window of 3-4 years to develop the necessary infrastructure, during which the facilities at GT and Cama hospitals should be adequate. The official said they are hopeful that the faculty from GT and Cama will suffice to get permission for the new college. However, the college would still require a building of its own.
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