Ronita Torcato
The Government of Maharashtra is all set to establish new medical, ayurvedic and homeopathy colleges across the state. To begin with, it has
allocated Rs 3, 224 crore for the construction of eight new medical colleges following approval from the National Medical Commission (NMC)
The NMC had, earlier, approved two new colleges in Mumbai and Nashik. Each college will have 100 MBBS seats, taking the total number of medical colleges in the state to 53, with a total of 7,324 seats. Private medical colleges account for 23 with 3,220 seats.
The new government colleges will be located in Gadchiroli, Amravati, Washim, Jalna, Buldhana, Ambarnath, Bhandara, and Hingoli.
Construction work has been entrusted to public sector agencies, and till completion, the old institutions will continue to function from rented premises.
Apart from the medical ( MBBS) college Buldhana will also have a new Ayurveda College and a 100-bed Ayurveda Hospital. At Cabinet meetings in Mantralaya, presided over by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the state government approved the establishment of this new college which will set the state exchequer back by Rs 487 crore. After the fifth year, Rs.38 crore 72 lakh per annum will be made available for the necessary recurrent expenditure in each subsequent year.
At present, there are 105 Ayurveda colleges with 7,857 seats in Maharashtra. After nursing, Ayurveda accounts for the highest number of colleges and seats, in the state.
The Maharashtra government has also allocated a sum of Rs. 248 crores and 90 lakhs for a new Homeopathy College with an admission capacity of 100 students and a Homeopathy Hospital with 50 beds in Kolhapur. The state- run college and hospital will be constructed on a four acre plot of land at Mauje Sangaon in Kolhapur district. The government has also given approval to create and fill up the requisite number of posts in the new establishments.
As regards dentistry, Maharashtra has 29 dental colleges with 2,675 seats. However dentistry seems to have lost allure after the pandemic with vacant seats in certain Government colleges even as Ayurveda’s star is on the ascendant. The government started an AYUSH department and appointed an ayurved as Pro Vice Chancellor.
Interestingly, students who missed MBBS seats are opting for ayurveda, possibly because they are permitted to practise as general physicians. Ayurveda colleges are now demanding parity with MBBS institutions. However, sections of the public are unimpressed. “I would prefer consulting an allopathic doctor, since the possibility of quacks in ayurveda and homoeopathy is greater, ” huffed a working mother of five.
Also read: Government to fund hospitals converted into medical colleges