To improve health services, the West Bengal government will construct five new medical colleges, seven new nursing colleges and even invite private doctors to work part-time in government hospitals.
After a review meeting of the health sector by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, it was announced that five new medical colleges will come up in the state with a total investment of Rs 1,000 crore.
"To increase manpower we are adding five new medical colleges in the government sector in Coochbehar, Raiganj, Rampurhat, Diamond Harbour and Purulia," state's principal health secretary R S Shukla told reporters.
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He said they would write to the central government and the Medical Council of India to relax norms in setting up of the new medical colleges in the areas of faculty and infrastructure.
"We want to facilitate the establishment without compromising the quality of learning and teaching," Shukla said.
In another new initiative, the state government would soon issue advertisements inviting private practising doctors to start working for a few hours every month in government facilities on payment basis.
Besides this, the government was also contemplating increase of retirement age of doctors from 65 years.
"All this is being done to increase manpower and availability of doctors in government hospitals," Shukla said adding, to counter the shortage of nurses they were starting seven new nursing colleges in the state.
Officials said the nursing colleges would come up by next year in Ghatal, Barasat, Jangipur, Jhargram, Ulberia, Basirhat and Sagardutta at a total cost of Rs 150 crore.
According to existing rules of the MCI, new medical colleges cannot have more than 100 seats, officials said adding, they would try to expand the number later on.
The Chief Minister would felicitate doctors on December 28 and would also launch a new Swasthya Sathi scheme for non-regular government employees.
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