The Medical Council of India (MCI) has given the nod for the State government’s proposal to start MBBS course in the current academic year at Government Medical College, Kollam, by admitting 100 students.
Of the 100 seats, 35 seats will be reserved for the wards of ESIC employees who qualify in the NEET examination.
Last year, immediately after assuming office, the LDF government had taken the decision to try for MCI recognition for the institution and had moved quickly to fulfil all the necessary infrastructure requirements needed for starting the first year MBBS classes.
Apart from creating new posts, it had also moved faculty posts from the medical college in Idukki and the proposed second medical college on the General Hospital campus in the capital to make up for faculty shortage.
However, last year, the MCI had refused to grant permission to open up MBBS admission.
The government has now created 390 new posts for the medical college. This includes 108 faculty and ministerial staff and 282 nursing and paramedical staff.
The 500-bed hospital (300 beds have been opened up now), with all facilities, including operation theatres, full-fledged blood bank, surgical, paediatric and medical intensive care units, is already functional. It has about 1,500 outpatients daily in various clinics and about 180 ot 200 inpatients on an average on all days.
In a statement, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said that despite speculations and negative propaganda from various quarters, including the local MP, about the medical college being a non-starter, the government had been making sincere efforts at the Centre to get the academic division in the institution started this year itself.
The file had been before the Lodha committee appointed by the Supreme Court to monitor the functioning of the MCI and the government was awaiting the final nod from the committee, the statement said.
