A Central Government funded institute on the lines of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is going to come up in the city and the Centre has already sanctioned Rs. 1,200 crore as the first instalment for the purpose, State Minister for Health and Medical Education Kamineni Srinivas said.
Participating in the Dr. N.T.R.Government General Hospital Development Society meeting here on Monday, he said that Central committee would soon come to make a study and submit a report to the Centre. The development of the institute would be “mentored” by the Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIMPER), which was close by, he said.
The Health Minister said another Rs. 292 crore has been sanctioned for the development of all the hospitals in Krishna district. This included Rs. 20 crore for the development of a nursing institute at Machilipatnam. He said administrative sanction had already been given for the development of a Super Speciality block at the GGH. Three Ministers-- Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, Kollu Ravindra and Mr. Srinivas-- reviewed the functioning of the GGH.
When Mr. Umamaheswara Rao confronted the hospital superintendent and heads of the different specialities with various complaints received from the public, the doctors poured out their woes.
They said that they were working under unfavourable conditions and the hospital lacked paramedical staff, equipment, air-conditioning facilities. Though there were funds available they could not be used because the district Collector was the ex-officio chairman of the Hospital Development Society and funds could be released only if he countersigned cheques.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) was repeatedly pointing out at the staff shortage , facilities and faculty. IMA Vijayawada president Indla Rama Subba Reddy said there were several experienced private doctors who were ready to teach “without any remuneration” and the government could make use of their services.
