Bhubaneswar, Dec. 7: The Odisha government is in the process of granting autonomy to VSS Medical College and Hospital in Sambalpur, health minister Damodar Rout said in the Assembly today.

Rout was replying to questions related to vacant doctor posts in the three government-run medical colleges.

Of the 899 faculty posts in the three colleges, 303 are lying vacant.

Official sources said a bill, granting autonomy to VSS Medical College and Hospital, would be introduced in the Assembly later. The status would help the doctors, along with the help of a board, manage the day-to-day affairs of the institute.

“The government is considering a proposal to reintroduce the system of ad-hoc appointments to meet the situation as the regular process of going through the Odisha Public Service Commission is quite time-consuming,” Rout said.

The faculty at the medical colleges not only teach MBBS and postgraduate students, but also treat patients at the hospitals attached to the respective medical colleges, said the members who raised questions on the issue.

While SCB Medical College and Hospital has 1,705 beds, MKCG Medical College at Berhampur and VSS Medical College and Hospital at Burla have around 1,000 each.

Rout said the government had requested the Pubic Service Commission in 2010 to select 120 medical teachers, but it recommended only 23 names.

Likewise, the government received a list of only 15 selected candidates against its requisition for 74 candidates in 2011, he said.

Speaking on future health care plans in the state, Rout said four central public sector undertakings — Rourkela Steel Plant, Mahanadi Coalfields, National Aluminium Company and the National Thermal Power Corporation — have agreed to set up medical colleges in the state.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) began functioning from Bhubaneswar this year.

SCB burn unit

The burn unit at SCB Medical College and Hospital is being converted into a full-fledged centre of excellence with assistance from the Centre.

The dedicated burn unit, which will be part of the National Programme for Prevention of Burn Injuries, will have 20 beds including three in the intensive care unit, 13 in general wards and four in special cabins.

The beds will be increased to 50. Burn patients are also being treated at the 20-bed plastic surgery department and the surgery department, which has 15 beds.

A two-member team, led by chairman of national monitoring committee J.L. Gupta, today held a discussion with officials concerned in this regard. The team is scheduled to visit MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur and VSS Medical College and Hospital in Burla to identity the infrastructure required for setting up specialised burn units there.

Additional reporting by Vikash Sharma in Cuttack