The Medical Council of India (MCI) has issued the letter of permission for the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Medical College here to function from this academic year.
The medical college has been sanctioned permission to have an intake of 100 students for the MBBS programme. The letter was published in the Ministry of Health website on Friday evening. It takes the number of ESIC medical colleges in Tamil Nadu to two. The other ESIC medical college in the State is at KK Nagar in Chennai.
Dean in-charge of the medical college in Coimbatore B. Asokan said that a three-member MCI team inspected the college here in December last year and had point out a few areas for improvement. On rectifying them the MCI team came for a compliance check on May 11.
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“Satisfied with the compliance check, the MCI has given us the letter of permission. The building and infrastructure were provided by the Union Government’s Ministry of Labour at about Rs. 600 crore but it will be run by the State Government according to a Memorandum of Understanding between both the Governments,” the Dean in-charge said. Dr. Asokan said that of the 100 seats, 65 will be filled up by the State Government through counselling and 15 by the Union Government. The remaining 20 seats have been set aside for the children of ESIC card holders. He said the Union Government has handed over nearly Rs. 40 crore to the State Government to procure equipment. “We have bought some equipment and the rest will be ready when classes commence for the first batch in August,” he added.
With regard to CMCH, dean of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) A. Edwin Joe said that the CMCH will not apply for additional seats till the medical college is equipped with the required infrastructure and facilities. “We have facilities required for the existing strength of 150 students. To increase the student strength by 100 we need new buildings and infrastructure that needs an investment of Rs. 100 crore,” he said.