The Union government has given approval for upgrading the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology as a regional cancer centre and has released the first instalment of financial assistance for the purpose.
Minister of State for Medical Education Sharanprakash Patil told presspersons here on Saturday that the Union government had approved a financial assistance of Rs. 120 crore and the State government would share 25 per cent of the amount. He said that the Union government released Rs. 67.5 crore as the first instalment.
“The declaration of the institute as a regional centre will help provide improved treatment facilities to patients,” the Minister said.
TrueBeam Robotic surgery equipment, high-end radiation equipment, and others would be installed. Although installation of PET scan equipment had not been included in the project, the government would provide funds to install it.
To a question, the Minister said that the State government had submitted the Letter of Intent to the Medical Council of India (MCI) seeking its permission to start six new government medical colleges at Gulbarga, Gadag, Chamarajanagar, Karwar, Koppal, and Kodagu and the MCI team would visit these places in January. Dr. Patil said that the buildings required to run first year course of MBBS would be ready by March in Gulbarga, Gadag, Koppal and Kodagu and there would be a slight delay in completing the work in Chamarajanagar and Karwar. However, all these buildings would be ready by the time the first year courses begin in August-September.
Dr. Patil said that the government had started identifying land for the medical colleges proposed at Yadgir, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Bagalkot, Haveri and Chickballapur.
