Health Min rejects Niti proposal on PPP with pvt med colleges

There are adequate healthcare facilities in Tamil Nadu, and Primary Health Centres are there in every locality across the State. “So, we do not require any such PPP model for the want of medical resources or finances,” the Minister said on the sidelines of an event on Friday, stressing that the Health department would not accept any such partnership programme.

The four new medical colleges proposed to be set up in Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore and Ariyalur have received the first stage of approval from the Medical Council of India, while the second stage is pending, he added.

“Though the technical committee has given the nod, the approval from the empowered committee of the Medical Council is awaited. However, there are few challenges as the council says that there can be only one medical college in one district and the district-headquartered hospitals need to be converted. But many districts have government and private medical colleges already functioning,” the Minister said.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami would lay foundation stones for all the nine new medical colleges in February, he said. However, the academic session at these colleges, each with 150 seats, would not start from this year.

The Health department would soon install at least 10 linear accelerators, each costing Rs 24 crore, at government hospitals including Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital, Royapettah Government Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. The State would also inaugurate PET CT scan units in government hospitals next month. Also, the tower 3 of RGGGH, which would offer outpatient services, was all set to be opened next month, the Health Minister added. In addition, the rheumatology block constructed at a cost of about Rs 40 crore would also be inaugurated in February, Vijaya Baskar said.