14-Member Committee headed by Dr Devi Prasad Shetty set up to work on new varsity
project
An exclusive university for paramedics and nursing students
will be set up in the state. A 14-member committee headed by Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty,
chairman, Narayana Health City, was set up on Tuesday for this purpose.
"Universities are focusing on doctors. However, paramedics too play an important
role in healthcare by assisting them. To ensure that they become subject knowledge
experts, we are planning to set up a university for paramedics," said S. A. Ramdass,
medical education minister, at the opening of the second post operative surgical
ICU and renovated Infosys Dharmashala at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology.
Students from any stream, having passed the PUC can enroll in this university. The
university will provide degree and diploma courses in nursing and paramedics.
Since there is big demand for Indian health care workers abroad, the courses will
focus on communication skills and etiquette too so students can get placement abroad.
It will bring in all the nursing colleges under one umbrella with a single curriculum.
The 14-member committee headed by Dr. Shetty will formulate a detailed plan for the
university in three months.
"About 50% of seats under this university will be reserved for students from Karnataka,"
Ramdass said.
To improve the infrastructure of medical colleges in the state, the Union government
has reserved a fund of 1,500 crore. "We have issued circulars to colleges seeking
requirements and we will send these proposals to the Centre so that they can include
this sum of money in their 12th five year plan," he said.
"The government is planning to set up separate counters for generic medicines in
government hospitals so that they are affordable," said Ramdass. A two-member committee
has also been constituted to decide on various issues related to clinical trial.
The second post operative ICU opened on Tuesday has 14 beds and four ventilators.
With this, the total ICU bed strength at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology has
gone up to 24. Jain Mahila Mandali sponsored the unit. The renovated Dharmshala
in the hospital campus can accommodate about 300 patients.
The Kidwai Cancer Drug Foundation will soon have an additional dharmsala. The entire
project is estimated at 3.5 crore. The hospital plans to set up a corpus to fund
treatment of paediatric patients. Philanthropists can sponsor medicines for children.
Courtesy: DNA India
