Center should speedily complete the work of medical colleges in the states, parliamentary committee gave instructions

new Delhi: Referring to the acute shortage of doctors in the country, a committee of Parliament recommended increasing the allocation under the Human Resource Plan for Health and Medical Education, speedy completion of the establishment of medical colleges and It is recommended to put in place a mechanism to monitor the actual progress under various components of the scheme. This was stated in the 134th report of the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare tabled in Parliament on Thursday.

According to the report, the committee is of the view that this centrally sponsored scheme is very important for setting up new medical colleges and increasing the seats in existing government medical colleges as India is facing acute shortage of doctors. The objective of the scheme is to bridge this gap in the health care sector by investing in medical education and increasing the number of post graduate seats.

According to the report, the committee, however, found that the current committed liabilities under the Human Resource Plan for Health Medical Education are Rs 14,712.66 crore. It was informed to the committee that it has been proposed to extend the period of the said scheme till 2023-24. Keeping in view the budgetary requirements under the scheme, the Committee is of the view that there is a need to increase the allocation for the same. As per the report, “The committee recommends to the ministry to increase the allocation under the scheme and to monitor the actual progress under various components of the scheme.”

The Committee also noted that the release of Central Contribution Funds is subject to submission of proposals by the Government of the States and Union Territories and under this a total of 157 Medical Colleges were sanctioned in different States. However, out of 157 medical colleges, only 71 colleges have started functioning so far. The committee recommended the ministry to expedite the completion of all medical colleges under various phases of the scheme. As per the report, the committee notes that states are facing a major challenge with their limited resources and active cooperation of the central government is needed to bridge the wide gap in medical education.

The committee also recommended the ministry to invite proposals from states which are struggling with health infrastructure and lack adequate number of government medical colleges. The Committee is of the view that the States should also adopt an optimistic approach and resolve all pending issues so that the rules under the scheme can be transferred at the earliest. The Committee emphasized the importance of a strong monitoring and oversight for medical colleges, saying that this would ensure that medical education is not compromised.