New Delhi: The Delhi government has decided to set up a 'world-class' medical college in Dwarka to boost the healthcare workforce, and its admission process will start from 2025, the city health department said on Friday.
Besides, a 600-bed maternal and child care hospital equipped with state-of-the-art facilities will be built on the campus of the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka Sector-9 to ensure better infant care, it said.
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Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the Arvind Kejriwal government is working continuously to provide better health facilities to citizens and reinforce the public health infrastructure.
''The number of beds in government hospitals will be increased rapidly during the next few years. We are also working to expand the capacity of various hospitals. The Kejriwal government is committed to its goal and is dedicated to serving the people, which is why affordable and quality healthcare is being provided to people of Delhi,'' he said in a statement issued by the health department.
The Delhi government has decided to set up a medical college with the Indira Gandhi Hospital. The campus will be built in Sector 17, and it will boost the city's healthcare infrastructure along with helping Delhi to emerge as a leader in the field of medical education, it said.
Dr B L Chaudhary, director of the hospital, said, ''The country needs good doctors, and keeping this in mind, it was decided to open a medical school based on modern technology and health services in Dwarka Sector-17. This will benefit meritorious students and the society as a whole. Meritorious students who cannot afford fees of private medical colleges will be able to make their dreams come true in the medical field by getting a chance to secure a seat in this government medical college.'' He added that youngsters would not have to go abroad for medical studies.
The introduction of various courses in medical and health sciences is being considered for the medical college, and the plan is to complete the construction of the campus by 2025, the department said.
In the initial phase, only MBBS courses will be offered. However, courses for other medical degrees, including MD, MS, DM, etc., will also be offered after some time, it said, adding that special emphasis will be given on research, along with studies.
Admission to this college will be done through NEET by the National Testing Agency on 125 seats in the first session. The admission process will be completely transparent, and the faculty will also be of high standards, the statement said.
The Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka is a city government-run hospital which has the same facilities as that of a private multi-speciality hospital, the health department said.
Delhi Health Minister Jain said there has been a major overhaul in the city's healthcare infrastructure over the last seven years. Not only is infrastructure developing in the medical field, but ''new doctors are also being prepared and trained, and the number of beds has also increased'', he added.
He asserted that the establishment of the new facility will enable Delhi to create a new ''army of doctors'', and the college would also provide employment opportunities to students who dream becoming doctors but have failed to secure admission due to ''exorbitant fees of private medical colleges''.
Special attention will be given to research at the Indira Gandhi Hospital, along with studies, so that it ''emerges as a powerhouse of research and innovation'', he said.
A part of the Indira Gandhi Hospital complex built by the Delhi government had been kept vacant, and the government has decided to build a mother and child welfare hospital on it in the future. Here, infants will be looked after better following delivery, the statement said.
Patients are already receiving emergency medical attention at the hospital. At present, there is a gynaecologist OPD at the hospital, along with those for medicine, paediatrics, ophthalmology, ENT, dermatology, surgery and physiotherapy departments. Recently, emergency services were also resumed at the hospital, officials said.
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