Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday appealed to the medicos to work in rural areas after their graduation.
Speaking at the 21st Convocation of the Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Mr. Stalin said the State had scaled greater heights in providing health care facilities. Equal importance should be given to research and the experts in the Health and Family Welfare Department should take steps to encourage new research, he said.
When the DMK returned to power in 2006, it decided to start medical colleges in every district. Under this programme medical colleges were started in Villupuram, Tiruvarur and Dharmapuri in the last four years.
Last year an announcement was made that medical colleges would be started in Sivaganga, Perambalur and Tiruvannamalai. Construction work had been completed in Sivaganga and Perambalur which would be functional from this academic year.
In each college 100 students would be admitted during this academic year.
Since the party came to power, permission for 16 private colleges had been accorded, he said.
In order to promote Traditional Indian medicines such as Siddha and Homeopathy, the State Government had announced the formation of a separate university for Traditional Indian Medicine in Kanyakumari.
The six Indian medicine and Homeopathy colleges would function under the new University, he said.
The stipend for the internees, post graduates and diploma students were increased by the ruling government. Similarly, the Government ordered promotion for all government doctors.
For this 880 new posts were created and a sum of Rs.118.06 crore was allocated by the government, he pointed out. In the last four years the State Government had increased the allocation for the health and family welfare in the budget, he added.
A total of 544 students got their MBBS degree; 331 students got their dental degree; 10 students got their masters in dental degree.
A total of 5,136 candidates were admitted for receiving degrees, diplomas in various medical, dental, Indian medicine and allied health science courses.
On the occasion the University presented life time achievement awards to 22 well known physicians and conferred honorary doctorate on A.V. Srinivasan, Neurologist, P.B. Sivaraman, Urologist, V. Nagarajan, Neurologist from Madurai, S. Visvakumar, Cardiothoracic specialist, V. Mohan, Diabetologist, P. Gopal and R. Sabaratanavel, General Medicine.
Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor, presided over the function and the State Health and Family Welfare Minister M.R.K. Paneerselvam, who is also Pro-Chancellor of the University, participated.
