MD Hospital Administration seats granted to Gandhi Medical College

Hyderabad: The sanctioning of hospital administration seats to Gandhi Medical College is an indication of the boost being given to government hospitals in the state, struggling with administrative problems. Presently, administration in government healthcare facilities is being looked after by doctors.

As per Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad is to get three seats for MD (Hospital Administration) and the Government Medical College, Nizamabad, three seats in MD (Pharmacology). The college till now has been an undergraduate college.

The MD Hospital Administration course is aimed to familiarize doctors with medicinal and equipment procurement procedures, sanitation, effective use of space, optimal utilization of beds, handling security concerns, and equipment maintenance.

The administrators will also be taught effective hospital design, and handling of manpower, "While managing a 2,000-bed hospital itself is challenging, a dermatologist, general physician or even a nephrologist can become either the superintendent or resident medical officer in hospitals. They, however, are not equipped to handle the detailed nuances of administration," explained a senior official from a state-run hospital to the TOI.

The Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad had recently sanctioned posts for qualified MD (hospital administration) candidates in order to replace the current fleet of doctors managing administrative work in hospitals with trained administrators.

The current posts of resident medical officers (RMOs) according to the present plan will be converted to posts of assistant professors, quite like at most premier institutes like the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

With the introduction of administration seats in colleges, hospitals with a 1000 or 2000 bed capacity are bound to improve administratively.