With 26 government medical colleges up and running in Telangana and eight more ready to come up in the next academic year, the state is undergoing a whitecoat revolution, said Health Minister T Harish Rao. The State will soon have 34 medical colleges in 33 districts.
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao along with Health Minister will be inaugurating nine medical colleges on September 15. The colleges are located in Karimnagar, Kamareddy, Khammam, Bhupalapally, Asifabad, Nirmal, Sircilla, Vikarabad and Jangaon.
Excerpts from an exclusive interview:
Why is there a new focus on medical education now?
Before the formation of Telangana, there were only five government medical colleges in the state, with three established before Independence. In the last seven decades, only two new government medical colleges were established. Initiatives to strengthen medical education began in 2016-17 with the establishment of new medical colleges in Mahabubnagar and Siddipet, followed by two more in Nalgonda and Suryapet in 2017-18. In 2022-23, eight additional medical colleges were started, nine medical colleges will be inaugurated on Friday and plans are underway to open eight more in 2023-24, bringing the total to 34 government medical colleges in 33 districts.
How is the infrastructure being taken care of?
Each medical college receives government funding of approximately ₹400 to 500 crore. This investment not only enhances medical education but also provides healthcare access to underserved populations, generating 1000-1500 direct and indirect employment opportunities.
What about the requirement of trained faculty and doctors?
To address the need for doctors, Telangana abolished private practice for government doctors, ensuring a focus on treating patients in government hospitals. Recruitment drives have been successful, with over 1000 doctors hired for primary healthcare and 900 for teaching. Telangana now leads India in educating more doctors, approximately 10,000 doctors per year are joining the ranks. Earlier, 2850 doctors passed out annually when the state was formed. To address the need for support staff, Telangana is starting one B. Sc Nursing College in each district and B Sc Paramedical courses to ensure an adequate supply of nurses and paramedical professionals.
What role does the central government play in creating the medical colleges?
Unfortunately, out of the 157 medical colleges sanctioned across the country, the Central Government has not sanctioned a single medical college for Telangana, despite two proposals being submitted. Despite this, Telangana’s initiatives have become a model, inspiring similar programme at the national level.
What is the status of healthcare expansion projects like Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS) and Warangal Health City in Warangal?
Expansion projects include 10,000 super-speciality beds, four TIMS across Hyderabad will have 4,000 beds (1,000 each), a 2,000-bed hospital in Warangal Health City, and NIMS expansion which will take total NIMS beds to 4,000. Warangal Health City is nearing completion and will be ready by January 2024. Additionally, the government is establishing Basti Dawakhanas in municipalities and Palle Dawakhanas in villages to provide health assessments and medications. Plans include 3000 Palle Dawakhanas and 500 Basti Dawakhanas.
What is the government’s plan for Osmania General Hospital?
Government is committed to build a new hospital. The Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao first visited OGH in 2015 and announced the construction of a new building. We have appointed an independent committee as per the HC order in which there were engineers and experts who said that the building is not fit to be a hospital. Based on that we have filed an affidavit. If the HC gives an order, the next day we will issue a GO and go for tenders. Coming to the issue of 1812 beds not being sufficient for the population, for that reason only we are constructing four TIMS across the city and NIMS is being expanded. When all these facilities are functional, the burden on OGH and Gandhi Hospital will come down.
How does the government handle incidents of ragging in medical colleges?
The previous year also there was such an incident in Nalgonda and immediately the involved students were suspended for one year, just like the recent case of Gandhi Medical College. We are not just letting the medical department take action but we are also filing cases in police stations so that a tough decision is taken. The government will handle such incidents with an iron hand.
Despite having 100% institutional delivery rate, Telangana has the highest Caesarean Sections in the country?
After I became the health minister, I started reviewing the high C-Section rate. In government sector, C-Sections have drastically come down but still in some north Telangana districts, the rate is very high. We have directed DMHOs to issue notices and take control of the situation. If required, licence will also be suspended for a specific time.
