Reason? The institutes envisaging setting up residential and hospital complex and medical colleges — on the pattern of the premier AIIMS in Delhi — at six sites in Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Raipur, Jodhpur, Rishikesh and Patna are at various stages of construction with many running behind schedule (see the box).
Initially proposed to be completed by December 2011 with 100 UG seats each, medical colleges are now expected to complete by March 2012. “For this academic session, test will be conducted for 50 MBBS seats. A lot of nitty-gritty is left before the colleges which can take up the target capacity of 100 seats,” a senior health official said.
However, in what could cause trouble to the students, those getting admission in AIIMS at Bhubaneswar and Raipur will be asked to head to the other four medical colleges for their study this academic session while Directors of Patna and Bhopal have been given additional charge of AIIMS in Rishikesh and Jodhpur respectively, informed the official.
It was in 2010, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had announced adding 600 medical seats from the academic session from August. He is keeping a close vigil on the progress of the project being set up under the the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) which was framed in March, 2006.
The project has been delayed since it was conceived in 2006 during the NDA Government regime. The UPA Government’s ill-planned designs and short sightedness took toll on the pace of the projects sprawling over 100 acres each at six sites. The project cost for each institute too has increased from Rs 332 crore to over Rs 800 crore.
For instance, in Rishikesh while it had to re-design the map in view of the site’s location near to the Ganga river, in Bhopal, the site was found adjacent to two storm water drains, posing threat to the proposed building during rainy season. Similar problems were incurred at other sites leading to the delay in the timely completion of the projects.
Besides, poor recruitment policy adopted initially for appointment of Directors for the medical colleges at Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Jodhpur, Rishikesh left the Ministry in quandary following last minute refusal of applicants Dr Kameshwar Prasad, professors of medicine Dr SK Sharma and Dr Rita Sood and professor of gastroenterology Dr SK Acharya — from AIIMS to join the top slot.
Learning the lesson in hard manner, the Ministry has decided now to convene “search-cum-selection shortly while interviews will be held in February,” said the official adding that faculty will be in place by May, 2012.
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