Medical university Bill introduced

The Kerala University of Health and Allied Sciences Bill seeking to bring about uniformity in health science education was introduced in the Assembly amidst Opposition uproar on Tuesday.

The Bill, which seeks to replace an ordinance issued in 2009, would bring all medical, dental, homoeo, nursing, Ayurveda and pharmaceutical colleges, functioning both in the government, private aided and unaided sectors, under a single university and is expected to help enhance the quality of medical education in the State. The Bill, piloted by Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy, was referred to the Subject Committee concerned amidst the Opposition agitation in the well of the House over the recruitment scam.

The LDF government had announced the decision to set up the university for health and allied sciences in the Governor's policy address to the Assembly in its first year in office and had constituted a committee headed by B. Ekbal, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Kerala, to study the feasibility of the proposal. The committee had submitted its report and a detailed project proposal on April 7, 2007, and the State Cabinet had taken the formal decision to set up the university on August 21, 2008.

Simultaneously, the government had also constituted a high-power committee chaired by the Health Minister to study the project proposal and consider the related policy questions. The committee had suggested inclusion of modern medicine, Ayurveda, homoeopathy, Siddha, Unani, naturopathy, nursing, pharmacy and other allied medical subjects and para-medical subjects under the purview of the new university. The university came into being through an ordinance issued on December 7, 2009.

The university, headquartered in Thrissur, would have a Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Surgery, Behavioural Studies, Indian Systems of Medicine, Nursing Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Alternate Systems of Medicine, Biomedical Science and Technology, Para-medical Sciences and Homoeopathic Sciences besides affiliated colleges and recognised institutions under its umbrella.