Posts filed under ‘Sardar Raja Medical College (WODC), Kalahandi’
Odisha govt approves Tata’s bid to construct Bhawanipatna medical college
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha cabinet on Friday approved Tata Projects Limited’s bid to construct the 100-seated medical college at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district.
Tender for the construction work was floated with an estimated cost of Rs 202.39 crore in which three bidders– NCC Limited, Shapoorji Pallorji and Company Private Limited and Tata Projects Limited– were found technically qualified. Among the three, Tata Projects Limited stood lowest with a bid value of Rs 2,20,73,98,218, official sources said.
The construction work will be completed in two years of time without any price escalation.
The Odisha government has taken a gigantic step to improve the medical education in the state to cater to the needs of the qualified doctors to wide spread health institutions in the state.
Survey finds health care in trauma in Kalahandi and Balangir districts
Following is a report from the Telegraph
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 12: Another case of dengue death was today reported from the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, while swine flu has already claimed nine lives in the state this year.
When the state is facing multiple health issues, a Bhubaneswar-based organisation, the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), has conducted a survey on the issue and challenges of primary heath care facilities in the two most backward districts – Kalahanadi and Balangir. The survey reveals how people are still not getting basic health services, including ambulance services.
The study was conducted in Balangir and Patnagarth constituencies of Balangir district and Narla and Junagarh constituencies of Kalahanadi district. The infamous Daana Majhi case that was reported last year, where Daana had to carry the body of his wife for nearly 12 kilometres after being unable to get the ambulance, was reported from Kalahandi district. In these four constituencies, a total of 37 primary health care centres have been selected by the organisation. The study covered primary health care centre, sub centres, villages and communities in these areas.
The expert team interviews 50 per cent of out patient department (OPD) patients visiting each PHC. The patients were selected on the basis of convenience and snowball sampling method. They were asked to share their satisfaction levels and experience at the primary health care centres. Total 370 patients (10 patients from each primary health care centres) were covered. Besides, the grassroots services providers – Accredited Social health Activists (Asha), auxiliary nurse midwives and anganwadi workers were interviewed on implementation of various government schemes.
They find unavailability of buildings as a major problem in imparting health care service to the patients. In absence of adequate and habitable staff quarters, it won’t be possible to put a check on doctor absenteeism and 24X7 primary health care centres won’t function smoothly. The primary health care centres need to be converted into 24X7 centres with in-patient department facilities.
Provision of safe drinking water and power back up (important in case of power failure during emergencies) are also major issues at the primary health care centres. The unavailability of diagnostic services and referral transport is causing a lot of difficulties for the people. While in some instances people are bound to pay higher prices in getting their medical condition resolved, in other cases, many are often showing lack of interest due to lack of money (thus, turning again to traditional healing methods or quacks).
The service providers also showed displeasure in many aspects. The doctors showed discontent regarding unavailability of staff quarters leading to daily commuting to the primary health care centres (few of them which are in remote areas).
Though medicines never run out of the stock and the quality of the medicine is good, the people don’t trust the quality of medicines as they think that government medicines are free and therefore, might be of poor quality. In many cases, doctors allegedly prescribe expensive medicines that patient parties have to buy from outside.
Asha and auxiliary nurse midwives are the health activists in the community who create awareness on health and its social determinants and mobilise the community towards local health planning and increase utilisaton and accountability of the existing health services. But these service providers face various issues at the ground level, such as communication problem, excessive field area and too much workload.
The survey report also alleges that the Asha workers are losing interest and motivation to carry out their regular duties as they are not getting incentives at the right time. Some of them also remained absent on the MAMATA Divas which is held on the second Friday of every month. Due to this continuous absenteeism, the beneficiaries have started losing trust on Asha workers.
Another major issue is lack of ambulance facilities and the people depend on their own bikes and bicycle, to reach to hospitals. Lack of ambulance facilities often turn out to be fatal for pregnant women. The status of 102 and 108 ambulance services is in highly deteriorated condition and people have been grossly disappointed.
CYSD co-founder Jagadananad said: “The study is an attempt to understand the nuances of the primary health care services provided at the grassroots and to gather the perceptions of the community regarding the services like access to health, infrastructure, human resources.”
Delivery in auto-rickshaw
A woman of Sunakhandi Tikarpada village in Kalyansighpur block of Rayagada district delivered a baby in an auto-rickshaw on her way to the hospital on Saturday. Her family members alleged that though they called the 102 ambulance service to rush her to Kalyansinghpur Community Health Centre after she complained of labour pain, the ambulance did not turn up.
Sordid saga: How an Odisha medical college row tied 124 students in a knot
Following report is from http://www.dailyo.in/politics/odisha-mci-mbbs-sardar-rajas-medical-college-supreme-court-ppp-iim-sambalpur/story/1/8447.html
The fate of 124 MBBS students of Sardar Rajas Medical College in western Odisha was decided this week with the Supreme Court directing the students to be admitted to three private medical colleges in the state. The college built on a public private partnership (PPP) model had failed to receive approval from the Medical Council of India (MCI) which resulted in uncertainty over the future of the students. The whole saga involving the state government, MCI, high court, other government medical colleges and the Supreme Court has been murky.
The story begins from 2004 when the government of Odisha, through the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) inked a deal with Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust of Tamil Nadu to establish a medical college in one of the country’s most backward districts, Kalahandi. The government then allotted 25 acres of land for free and gave a sum of Rs 20 crore for the college to start.
Promising to build a 300-bed hospital with all necessary facilities, the trust after much delay in setting up the infrastructure, admitted 100 students for the year 2013-’14. Next year another 24 students were admitted. In the wake of the college not having adequate infrastructure and staff, the MCI withdrew permission for admission this year.
The Odisha High Court then stepped in and ruled that the majority of the students would be allocated to two government medical colleges and a small number to three private medical colleges. All hell broke loose when students of the two government medical colleges in Berhampur and Burla staged protests against addition of the aggrieved students citing lack of facilities and a moral quandary where lower ranked students of the shut college would now become equal with higher ranked students.
The high court, in the meantime, ruled in favour of an increase in seats in the three private medical colleges so that the displaced students could be admitted. The ruling was supported by the state cabinet. This prompted the MCI, which is against adding seats to colleges that lack adequate facilities, to move the Supreme Court against the high court order. A special leave petition brought the Supreme Court in the picture which after staying the high court’s order finally ordered that all 124 students of the beleaguered institution be admitted to the three private medical colleges while paying fees at par with government colleges.
In the meantime, the Odisha government has scrapped its MoU with Selvam Trust and is looking for fresh bidders to take up the work for the 300-bed hospital. It has also promised to initiate criminal proceedings against the trust. While the uncertainty of many months has ended for the students, including the ones protesting against the state government and the high court’s orders, there are more questions than answers in this sordid saga.
The first question is regarding the policy. The intent of setting up a medical school and hospital in a remote and backward district needs questioning. Populism might warrant it but when it comes to setting up the elaborate infrastructure and having adequate faculty members as the MCI demands, running a medical school in a remote region becomes fraught with difficulties. Invariably, the admission rate at such institutions gets hit. Only few candidates make a beeline for colleges that lack facilities and are situated in a poorly connected places. A case in point was the dismal admission rate at IIM Sambalpur seen recently.
The second question is about the merit of the MoU partner. A cursory look at Selvam Trust’s website will tell you that it does not possess expertise in running a medical college. It runs an engineering and science college. What attracted the state government to choose such a partner? Was it because no other group showed interest?
The third question is about the handling of the case by honourable Odisha High Court and to some extent by the Supreme Court. If lack of infrastructure and faculty members can be a valid reason for not permitting admission in government medical colleges, does not the same apply to the private colleges as well? The high court stepping into the role of the MCI also was an intrusion that could have been best avoided. The case is set to be heard soon and one can only hope that the apex court takes cognisance of the digression from rules provides direction.
Lastly, the state government’s handling of the whole issue should come under the scanner. Students of government colleges protesting for weeks against sharing classes with displaced students of Sardar Rajas Medical College also presented an ugly picture and could have been addressed better by a concerned state government. Delay in project implementation, not meeting the desired requirements despite warnings from the MCI, sorry state of both government and private medical colleges are some issues that need to be answered by the government.
Odisha woefully lacks adequate and quality medical colleges. Plans under the PPP model are afoot to implement a few projects to meet this glaring gap. The Sardar Rajas Medical College row should, amid other things, serve as a rude wake up call for all concerned.
Never ending saga of Sardar Rajas medical college students
Following is a report from the OTV:
Bhubaneswar: Students of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) in Burla and Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati (MKCG) Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur moved Orissa High Court today opposing the re-allotment of Kalahandi-based Sardar Rajas medical college students in their respective institutions.
The students knocked the HC doors citing that their institutions are ill-equipped to accommodate the additional strength and an alternative arrangement should be made for the students of Sardar Rajas students who have been caught in an imbroglio.
They too sought the State government be a part of the matter in the legal proceedings.
Earlier Saturday, students of VIMSAR had staged a silent protest in front of the institution protesting against the HC order to re-allocate 45 medicos of Sardar Rajas Medical College in their college.
Two days later, students of MKCG Medical College and Hospital took to streets opposing the HC order. Besides, demanding proper counselling, the students of Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital here had taken out a rally in Master Canteen area.
Fate of students of Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital remain uncertain
Following is a report from the TOI:
BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Tuesday lodged an FIR against A John Sel Raja, president of Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital, Jaring, for criminal breach of trust at Junagarh police station in Kalahandi district, government sources said.
The Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) lodged the complaint accusing him of violating the memorandum of understating (MOU) he signed with WODC, fraudulent documentation and playing with the future of hundreds of medical students, a government officer said. Earlier, the government had issued show-cause notices to it, but Raja allegedly did not reply.
Fate of 124 MBBS students of the college, admitted in two batches in 2013 and 2014, remain uncertain as the college doesn’t have minimum infrastructure and faculty to run the institution as described in the statutory norms of Medical Council of India (MCI).
The students are on dharna in front of the college since July 30 seeking government intervention to rescue them from the situation. They have also moved the Orissa high court seeking its intervention. The MCI has debarred the college from admitting students this year.
Odisha loses 250 medical seats in three colleges
The MCI recently denied permission for admitting students to Hi-Tech Medical College, Rourkela, and Sardar Rajas Medical College, Jaring (Kalahandi). The colleges had 100 seats each. Besides, the council slashed the number of seats at Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bhubaneswar, to 100 from 150.
Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) committee chairman Tushar Nath has confirmed that there would be no admission in the two private colleges at Rourkela and Jaring this year.
Both the colleges, set up in public private partnership (PPP), are suffering from inadequate infrastructure. Students of Jaring are on an agitation seeking takeover of the college by the state government.
KIMS, part of a deemed university, conducts admission on its own. The Centre had granted permanent recognition to 100 MBBS seats at the college. In 2014-15, the health ministry gave its nod to a provisional increase of 50 seats based on MCI recommendations. However, the council did not renew its permit this year, reducing the number to 100 again.
The number of MBBS seats in the state now stands at 900. These include 550 at three government medical colleges at Cuttack, Burla and Berhampur, and 350 in three private medical colleges.
Centre says no to 100 MBBS seats at Kalahandi’s Sardar Raja medical college
Reported by Chinmaya Dehury
Bhubaneswar, July 15:
The Central government has disapproved of the renewal of 100 medical seats at Sardar Raja medical college in Kalahandi -along with 3820 MBBS seats across the country- for the academic session 2014-15.
The decision follows the recommendation of Medical Council of India (MCI), which had recommended against renewal of permission for admission in 3820 MBBS seats across 45 medical colleges in the country for for the academic session 2014-15, said a release of PIB today.
” MCI had recommended for disapproval of 118 medical colleges for renewal of permission for admission in 8567 MBBS seats for the academic session 2014-15. The Ministry has forwarded the compliance reports submitted by the concerned medical colleges to MCI for review and the same were placed before the Executive Committee of the Council at the meeting held on 08.07.2014 and 12.07.2014. Subsequently, MCI has recommended for renewal of permission for 73 cases with 4747 MBBS seats. The MCI has recommended for disapproval of renewal of permission for 45 medical colleges with 3820 MBBS seats for the year 2014-15,” the release said.
The assessment reports of all medical colleges by the assessor appointed by MCI, were placed before the Executive Committee of the Council.
This Committee recommends the grant of approval to those institutions which meet the requirements and provisions as per MSR/provisions/regulations of the Council.
The Executive Committee found deficiencies in 45 medical colleges which, according to the assessment reports, failed to meet the requirements prescribed by the MCI as per Minimum Standard Requirements Regulation. That explains why the Committee decided to recommend to the Central Government against grant of permission for 3820 seats in these medical colleges.
MCI has recommended for renewal of permission to 73 medical colleges to conduct admissions for 4747 MBBS seats.
However, MCI has recommended for establishment of 16 new medical colleges with intake capacity of 2050 MBBS seats and also recommended for the increase of 600 MBBS seats in 10 existing medical colleges for the academic year 2014-15.
The Union Health Minister stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, the PIB release said.
MCI okays 100 seats for Sardar Rajas Medical College, Kalahandi
Following is a report from http://newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/MCI-okays-100-seats-for-Kalahandi-medical/2013/07/13/article1681447.ece
n a major boost to medical education in the State, the MCI has accorded permission to Sardar Rajas Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre (SRMCHRC) at Jirang in Kalahandi district to commence its MBBS programme from the ensuing academic session 2013-14. The SRMCHRC, established by the Tamil Nadu-based Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust, has been permitted to admit 100 students into the college. With the addition, the medical seats in the State has gone up to 850. The college would be included in the JEE counselling for admissions into medical State quota seats that would get underway after July 21.
Sardar Raja Medical College administration working to enroll students from coming academic year
Following report is from the Sambad:
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 