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The Karnataka government has submitted a detailed project report (DPR) for an additional National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) which will also have a post graduate PG Institute and poly-trauma centre estimated at Rs. 489 crore.
The state government has already allotted the required land for this facility which was then planned as a poly-trauma centre in East Bengaluru to support the overloaded existing NIMHANS in South Bengaluru. But now the government sees the need that the facility would also require a post graduate institute to provide the much-needed qualified neurology expertise.
New 538-bed NIMHANS poly trauma centre and PG institute proposed in Bengaluru East has been submitted to the Standing Finance Committee (SFC). Once approved, the new institute will come up at Kyalasanahalli near Hennur Main road in Bengaluru, said minister for health and medical education Dr K Sudhakar.
In order to further strengthen the medical education scene in Karnataka, minister Sudhakar also has requested the Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya who has in principle given a green signal for establishing an All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Karnataka . The assurance was given during a meeting between the two ministers in New Delhi.
As of January 2022, 19 AIIMS are operating and 5 more are expected to become operational by 2025. The move by the health ministry is expected to offset the serious shortage of doctors. The ministry of health and family welfare in December 2021 has said that doctor-patient ratio in India is 1:834, assuming 80% availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh Ayush practitioners.
In Karnataka, there are 57 medical colleges, of these 19 are government, 30 are private and 9 are deemed medical colleges. “The setting up of AIIMS in Karnataka will enhance public healthcare and medical education infrastructure in Karnataka,” said minister Sudhakar.
Initially, the Karnataka government had submitted a proposal to the SFC for the construction of a medical college in 2021. However the SFC had asked the government to focus on NIMHANS expertise in PG training. The new 538 bed institute is set to come up in three years at a cost of Rs. 489 crore, he said.
Additionally, minister Sudhakar in a communication to the Union minister Dr Mandaviya suggested to improve healthcare in the state by opening a separate state level university for nursing and allied health sciences to ensure quality and professionalism. There is need for public-private partnership (PPP) model for administration of hospitals. In addition, a special curriculum and training of in-service doctors in hospital management was much-desired, he stated.
Further, he also noted that priority needs to be given to domicile students in deemed universities and extend government of India’s assistance to establish medical colleges in all districts irrespective of whether it has a private medical college or not. Besides he noted, the need for flexibility in leveraging National Health Mission to address State specific and region specific health challenges.
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