Centralised Drugs, Equipment Purchases in Karnataka

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Aug 28: Karnataka proposes to centralise its entire drugs and equipment purchase in view of the substantially cheaper cost of drugs for bulk purchases.

An official committee headed by the director, Department of Medical Education, would be constituted to study the centralized system, Minister of State for Medical Education Sharanaprakash R Patil told presspersons on Wednesday.

The committee would study the centralised system of drug procurement being presently practiced in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh and then suggest to the government the future course of action.

All autonomous medical institutions in the State were presently procuring medicines worth several crores of rupees through e-procurement.

The Department was purchasing medicines through the Karnataka State Drug Logistic and Warehousing Society.

The State Government feels that a centralized procurement would not only ensure better quality of drugs but it would also reduce cost, he said.

Patil said the government has planned to distribute medicines free of cost to patients to discourage doctors from prescribing medicines to be purchased from outside.

Though steps have been taken to ensure availability of medicines to patients in government hospitals, the minister confessed that the Department has received several complaints with regard to non-availablity of medicines.

Govt wants to start admissions in 6 new medical colleges

The State Government is taking all steps to start admissions in the six new medical colleges being set up in Karnataka from the next acadedemic year of 2014-15.

The six new medical colleges would be set up in Karwar, Kodagu, Gadag, Gulbarga, Koppal and Chamarajnagar districts.

Addressing reporters in Bangalore on Wednesday, Karnataka’s minister of State for medical education Sharanprakash R Patil said the six new colleges would be functioning under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Bangalore.

The intake in six medical colleges would be 150 each.

The minister said the governemnt would write to the Medical Council of India seeking permission for commencing admission of students from the next academic year.

A sum of Rs 400 crore would be required to complete college buildings, laboratories and hostels in the next five years.

All the new medical colleges would come up near the existing district hospitals, he said.

With the opening up of six colleges, 900 more medical seats would be available for students in the State next year.

The number of medical seats (under-graduation) would be increased from the present 2500 to 3400 in the next academic year.

Teaching and non-teaching faculty in colleges would be recruited well in advance, he said.

The State Government has also received proposals from three private educational managements for starting medical colleges.

The Cabinet would approve the proposals soon after examining all issues, Patil said.

Fees for the medical courses will go up from next academic year, he said pointing out that the government has decided to implement the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2006, from 2014-15, for admission of students for medical, engineering and dental courses.

There will not be uniform fee for admission of students for various professional courses in colleges in the State from next academic year and the fees will vary depending on the infrastructure available, he added.