Plan mooted to increase seats in medical college

BHUBANESWAR: Health and Family Welfare Minister Prasanna Acharya on Friday said in the Assembly that the State Government is contemplating to increase 100 seats each in the three medical colleges and hospitals of the State.  Replying to a question from Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik (BJD), the Minister said a master plan is being prepared for the required infrastructure and improve treatment and teaching in the colleges.  Members cutting across partylines, however, wanted to know what steps the State Government has taken to improve the teaching and health services infrastructure in the three colleges.  The Minister said 43 MBBS seats have been added to the existing strength in each of the three colleges. He said required non-clinical and clinical posts have been created as per the guidelines of the Medical Council of India to improve the health services infrastructure.  Eight posts of professors, 20 associate professors, 60 assistant professors and 110 posts of senior residents have been created.  The Minister announced that a kidney transplantation unit will be opened at the SCB Medical, Cuttack. This will help the poor patients, Acharya said and added that the cost for kidney transplantation at the unit will be Rs. 50,000.  Similarly, kidney stone extraction will cost Rs. 6,000 and kidney dialysis will cost Rs. 500.  The Minister said kidney transplantation costs more than Rs. 5 lakh at private hospitals. The unit will be opened by the end of the year, he said.