In an effort to reduce the shortage of faculty in medical colleges, Andhra Pradesh Government, taking a cue from its Gujarat counterpart, proposes to increase the retirement age of professors in government medical colleges to 65 years, State Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas said on Thursday.
''The Gujarat model of medical education is worth emulating. The proposal, is in the interest of medical students and patients, will be put before the State Cabinet soon'', said the Minister who slept in the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences(RIMS) here on Wednesday night and interacted with patients to know first-hand their woes.
Private doctors would be allowed to offer their specialty services unavailable in state-run hospitals from the premises of Government hospitals soon, he added. 'There is definitely improvement in the maintenance of the hospital when compared to my visit last year when I suffered from nausea,'' Dr.Srinivas told reporters. ''However, there is still room for further improvement in maintenance of hygiene in the hospital'', he added.
Taking note of patients waiting in queues for the arrival of doctors, he said that the working hours would be advanced by one hour to 8.00 a.m. for the benefit of patients. RIMS doctors unanimously welcomed the announcement by a big round of applause.
Putting the shortage of nurses at 3,600, he said that Directorate of Nursing would be constituted soon to recruit nurses in a transparent manner and on a regular basis.
Noting that there was acute shortage of doctors in the three semi-autonomous RIMS in the state, he said that these colleges would be mainstreamed and recruitment done regularly along with other state-run medical colleges.
Happy over the smooth conduct of the first phase of the P.G medical counselling by NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh students, he said that all issues should be sorted out by the two governments amicably.
Infrastructure bottlenecks at RIMS would be addressed in two months, he said, adding ''I have taken up with the Centre problems specific to the state after bifurcation. We will certainly get MCI nod for admissions in RIMS in new academic year;;.explained
Infrastructure in Government hospitals in rural areas would be strengthened with NABARD funds to the tune of rs 347 crore, added the minister who laid the foundation stone for improvement of infrastructure in the government hospitals at Chirala, Martur and Maddipadu.
Ongole MLA D.Janardehana Rao announced setting up of reverse osmosis plant at RIMS in memory of former minister D.Anjaneyulu.
