Himachal passes Health Science University Bill to regulate medical education

Chandigarh: The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Friday unanimously cleared the Himachal Pradesh Health Science University Bill 2017.The bill will regulate medical education in the State.

The bill is meant to bring uniformity in the field of health education and work towards promoting research in various health science disciplines, informed Mr. Thakur.

The University is to be housed in ESI hospital, Nehar Choke in Mandi district, as the infrastructure for it has been built there by the government. According to the Minister 150 seats were allowed by the MCI at ESI medical colleges in the ratio of 75:25; 75% reserved for the State, and 25 percent for other States.

The University will provide the latest health care facilities and health education at par with Punjab, Haryana,& Karnataka.

"The Bill will greatly help in reining in private medical colleges, especially with regard to admissions, faculty, fee structure and its revision," said, Minister Singh.

“Many other states such as Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, and others have their separate Acts to regulate medical education and matters connected therewith,” he told the

Tribune.

Turning down the opposition demand for an autonomous IGMC, Shimla, Thakur said that the state government planned to convert the institutions to super specialty, which would work under the supervision of the University, reports the Pioneer.

The Minister clarified that MM Medical College and Hospital, Solan would also come under the aegis of the upcoming State University. He said that barring MM College and Hospital, the HP University was regulating health education at of all private & government colleges in the State.

The Minister also spoke of the starting of two new colleges at Chamba and Nahan, besides the two existing medical colleges. He also revealed that more than 650 posts of doctors were lying vacant due to a shortage of trained staff and the government had been recruiting, as many as were available to it.