Medical panel conducts inspection; Maharashtra may get three new govt medical colleges from this academic year

“Efforts are underway to start three new medical colleges at Satara, Alibaug and Sindhudurg. Inspections have been conducted by the panel from the National Medical Commission and reports have been sent to the Centre,” Dr Dileep Mhaisekar, Director, Medical Education and Research (DMER), told The Indian Express.

NMC inspection team looks at criteria such as infrastructure and manpower before giving the go-ahead to start the four-year undergraduate MBBS degree course. The panel assesses whether there are any deficiencies related to manpower or infrastructure on the premises.

At present, there are 19 medical colleges in the state with an approximate 3,300 seats for MBBS degree course. “Three (more colleges) have been proposed and a minimum of 100 seats will be introduced in each college,” Dr Mhaisekar said.

Dr Sanjay Gaikwad, Dean of Satara Government Medical College, said the NMC inspection team visited the district on August 11 and 12 and expressed satisfaction with the infrastructure and other criteria. The Satara project is touted to be an ambitious one with the backing of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who, on earlier occasions, has assured of adequate funding towards construction of the college.

The construction is expected to start soon at Krishna Nagar in Satara after a land measuring 62 acres was acquired for the proposed college. Presently, the state health department has handed over the 350-bed Satara Civil Hospital, which has also developed a 300-bed district Covid facility, to the medical education department. Satara Civil Hospital has been converted into a teaching hospital and transferred from the health department to the DMER to start the proposed medical college and UG medical course.

“We have infrastructure like lecture halls, laboratory and even a library with 3,000 books,” Dr Gaikwad said. The new building will come up in the acquired land and a 500-bed hospital has also been proposed there.

According to Dr Girish Thakur, Dean, Government Medical College, Alibaug, this will be the first government-run college in the Konkan region. “The NMC team (recently) visited Alibaug and took stock of the facilities,” Dr Thakur said. The health department has handed over the civil hospital at Alibaug to DMER. A 500-bed hospital has been proposed along with a new college building at Usar village at Alibaug.