Launch of an array of facilities and announcement of more was the highlight of the foundation day of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) on Thursday.
The occasion brought good news for contract doctors, who can now hope to get absorbed as regular doctors. The retirement age of serving government doctors has also been raised from 65 years to 70 years.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the new facilities, including a 200-bed hostel for MBBS students, nursing school, diagnostic centre building and a state-of-the-art medical record room building on the 45th foundation day of NMCH.
Nitish also made several announcements while speaking at the function.
"NMCH would soon have a nursing college," Nitish said before adding: "A Rs 31-crore trauma-cum-emergency centre would also be started in the college. We have also decided to expand the library. A drug warehouse worth Rs 6 crore and outpatient department complex worth around Rs 11 crore would be built. Apart from this, we have decided to increase the number of MBBS seats in the college from 100 to 250. The vacant posts of doctors and paramedical staff are being filled up. We would create new posts of doctors to meet the requirement of 250 seats," said Nitish.
He also had good words for contract doctors demanding regularisation of services. "The state government is bound to take services of contract doctors because of paucity of doctors in government-run health facilities but this system is in place on a temporary basis. I have asked principal health secretary Brajesh Mehrotra to look into the technicalities and legal issues. We want to absorb all contract doctors," said Nitish.
Over 1,500 contract doctors work in different government hospitals in the state.
Nitish also spoke of the government's decision on increasing the retirement age of doctors from 65 to 70 years. "We plan to start many new medical colleges. We are also trying to increase the MBBS seats in the existing medical colleges. For that, we would need more doctors," he said.
MBBS students of different batches of the college, who have topped in various papers, were given away gold medals. While Dr Shantilata Choudhary Memorial Gold Medal was given to Shweta Krishnan, a student of the 2013 batch, Dr VN Tiwary Memorial Gold Medal was handed over to Ankur Modi, a 2013 batch passout. The BK Khetan Memorial Gold Medal was given to Gyan Prakash, a student of 2011 batch, Dr CB Choudhary Memorial Gold Medal was handed over to Rajnikant, a 2011 passout.
Health minister Ramdhani Singh, principal health secretary Brajesh Kumar, health secretary Anand Kishore, NMCH alumni Sahjanad Prasad Singh and Bimal Karak apart from other dignitaries were also present.
