Dr. Somashekhar SP, Chairman, Medical Advisory Board, Aster DM Healthcare GCC and India, emphasizes that private hospitals setting up medical colleges need to strengthen their clinical infrastructure to produce skilled and quality doctors. Private hospitals need to offer one-third of their beds to underprivileged patients at subsidized rates to maintain a high volume of patients. Dr. Manish Jangra, Founder, Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), and former Senior Resident, RML Hospital Delhi, suggests that the government should focus on improving the condition of existing medical colleges rather than setting up new private medical colleges. By focusing on producing skilled and quality doctors, the Indian government can bridge the gap between the number of doctors and specialized professionals in the country.
Private Hospitals Planning to Set Up Medical Colleges Need to Strengthen Clinical Infrastructure
Private hospitals in India that plan to set up medical colleges may face challenges in meeting the requirement for clinical infrastructure. To maintain a high volume of patients, private hospitals need to offer one-third of their beds to underprivileged patients, according to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.
More than 60 private hospitals have been asked by the Health Ministry to introduce medical courses. The government aims to increase the number of undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical seats in the country, which could restrict medical aspirants from moving to foreign countries.
Currently, there are around 1 lakh UG seats and over 42,000 PG seats in the country. This initiative may increase the number, but private hospitals running for more than two years and having 300 beds can easily apply to the National Medical Commission (NMC) for setting up medical colleges. The hospitals must clear the inspection conducted by the NMC to get a license.
According to a Ministry of Health official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the directive on easing norms may apply to reputed hospitals where the years of experience required or the number of beds mandated may be reduced. Additionally, the stipulated land/area needed for setting up medical colleges may also be reduced as cities do not have enough space.
Established private medical hospitals are already running courses in Diplomate National Board (DNB) as they do not require medical colleges or hostels to teach this course, says Dr. Sanjay Teotia, Joint Director, Medical and Health, Lucknow, UP. These hospitals can now offer MBBS and PG courses in medicine, subject to NMC approval. The move is intended to increase the doctor-patient ratio in the country, especially in the rural belt.
The decision will also help in keeping a check on the fees charged by private medical colleges as students will have more options to pursue medical education, adds Teotia.
Private hospitals planning to set up medical colleges must strengthen their clinical infrastructure to meet the requirements set forth by the NMC. This will help maintain a high volume of patients while also providing quality medical education to aspiring doctors.
Private Hospitals Need to Strengthen Clinical Infrastructure to Maintain High Volume of Patients
Dr. Somashekhar SP, Chairman, Medical Advisory Board, Aster DM Healthcare GCC and India, welcomes the Indian government’s move to increase the number of medical seats in the country. However, he stresses that private hospitals setting up medical colleges need to strengthen their clinical infrastructure to produce skilled and quality doctors.
The ratio of MBBS, PG, and specialized students in India is 100:10:1, indicating that there are fewer specialized professionals in Medicine due to the fewer seats in medical colleges. In western countries, this ratio is 3:2:1. While it is important to increase the number of medical seats in India, Dr. Somashekhar emphasizes that the focus should not only be on producing doctors but producing skilled and quality doctors.
Private hospitals need to offer one-third of their beds to underprivileged patients at subsidized rates to maintain a high volume of patients. This is important as fewer patients in private hospitals may disrupt the quality education of professionals.
According to Dr. Manish Jangra, Founder, Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), and former Senior Resident, RML Hospital Delhi, the government should focus on improving the condition of existing medical colleges rather than setting up new private medical colleges. The government can increase the seats in already existing government colleges and improve the infrastructure and clinical facilities there.
Improving the quality of existing medical colleges is crucial as most doctors produced in India lack quality skills. By focusing on producing skilled and quality doctors, the Indian government can bridge the gap between the number of doctors and specialized professionals in the country.
Private hospitals setting up medical colleges need to ensure that they are strengthening their clinical infrastructure. This will not only produce skilled and quality doctors but also maintain a high volume of patients in private hospitals.
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