Education

Government May Allow Private Sector to Set up Medical Colleges

It may relax regulatory norms to allow profit-making bodies to enter the healthcare education sector

In an attempt to bridge the yawning demand and supply gap, the Government of India is planning to allow private healthcare players to set up medical colleges. The Government may also slacken the current regulations to facilitate their entry. Speaking at the FICCI healthcare event, Health Secretary, Naresh Dayal said, "The Government had decided to allow corporate entities to set-up medical colleges, for which land acquisition norms will be now relaxed. We will also encourage public-private partnerships." Currently, there are strict guidelines issued by the Medical Council of India (MCI), Indian Nursing Council, Indian Dental Council and Indian Pharmacology Council which allows only the government or a non-profit body to set-up a medical education centre.

This is a welcome move by major healthcare players like Fortis Healthcare, Apollo Hospitals Group and Hinduja Group, who have charted out ambitious plans to set up medical education hubs. Fortis alone plans to set up 10 medicities, each costing around Rs 800 crore. According to the Planning Commission report, India was short by six lakh doctors, 10 lakh nurses and two lakh dental surgeons in 2007. Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, said, "One of the ways to fill this shaft is to leverage the existing infrastructure of public sector through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP). PPP will improve the healthcare services by bringing competition and efficiency in government hospitals." The Government also expects to complete the Rajiv Arogya Sri, a health insurance programme for the poor in the next three to four years. After completion, the programme will cover around 300 million people Below the Poverty Line (BPL) in the country.

EH News Bureau