The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)’s fledgling new medical college and the attached hospital are being deprived of the services of super speciality doctors due to still-born memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the State Government and the Labour Ministry.
Six months ago, Union Labour Minister and Secunderabad MP Bandaru Dattatreya had initiated the pact between the medical college (Sanatnagar) and the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in the presence of TS Medical and Health Minister Laxma Reddy.
The objective was to make use of the available specialists of NIMS for three years to work in the ESIC college for the benefit of medical students and also for scores of patients thronging the hospital hitherto not having the necessary personnel to handle “complicated medical cases”.
“It is a win-win scenario for both as the college/hospital would have access to super-specialists in neurosurgery, neurology, cardiology and cardiac surgery, nephrology, urology, radiology and anesthesiology round the clock while NIMS post-graduates can take up the one-year mandatory service staying on the campus,” said senior ESIC officials, pleading anonymity.
Rather than depend on private nursing homes or corporate hospitals, ESIC medical college wanted a “helping hand” from a premier public hospital like NIMS to handle patients, they explained. About 18 specialists are to work for three months each by turns but it has not happened as the clearance is yet to come from the ESIC Board and other top officials in Delhi.
“Objections have been raised about some of provisions in the agreement like providing hostel accommodation to NIMS specialists even though they will be working for free,” it is pointed out. Senior officials and doctors are quite baffled about the delay since Mr. Dattatreya has been singularly instrumental in ensuring that the new college is functional by persuading the Medical Council of India (MCI) to grant permission last year.
The college had admitted 50 children of Insured Persons (IPs) hailing from poor socio-economic backgrounds against the 100 seats available and strictly as per the ranks obtained in the common entrance test. But, the future of these and other students could also be in jeopardy as they need the services of the super speciality doctors once they reach the final year clinicals.
“The available infrastructure is sufficient for students in the first two years of medical college. We need NIMS assistance in terms of specialists for initial years till we build our own facilities. NIMS too has chalked out contingency plans to recruit more doctors,” aver senior officials.
ESIC Medical College Dean M. Srinivas, when contacted, admitted to delay in getting NIMS doctors. “We are holding talks with the ESIC officials and expect the issue to be resolved soon,” said Dr. Srinivas, an alumus from AIIMS, Delhi.
