Punjab sets up panel to overhaul medical, dental colleges

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has set up a high-powered planning and monitoring committee for upgrade and overhauling of government medical and dental colleges in the state.

The committee will be headed by medical education and research minister Brahm Mohindra, with former Union minister Preneet Kaur as its patron. Adviser and former chairman of Medical Council of India and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) director KK Talwar has been named vice-chairman, while vice chancellor of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences will be its ex-officio member.

The committee will submit an interim report by October 31, and final report by December 31, an official spokesperson disclosed here on Thursday. “The committee has been constituted as the government medical and dental colleges had been allowed to deteriorate to pathetic levels by the previous government in the state.”

The spokesperson further said the committee has been mandated to identify gaps/ shortcomings, besides suggesting and monitoring steps for improvement in the areas of infrastructure, equipment, human resources, patient care, specialist care, super specialty care, intensive care, trauma care, hospital management in its totality, teaching, research and any other aspect which is considered necessary to improve the functioning of the college and hospital to which it is attached.

The committee will work out the feasibility of the public private partnership (PPP) model to augment patient care, teaching and research. It will draw out both short term and long term comprehensive action plan for achieving their holistic development.

Other members of the committee are Dr Janak R Sachdeva, Dr Ajmer Singh, Dr F Handa, Dr AS Sekhon, Dr Manmohan Singh, Dr Jatinder Kansal, and Dr Bhagwant Singh.

THE COMMITTEE , TO BE HEADED BY MEDICAL EDUCATION MINISTER, TO SUBMIT AN INTERIM REPORT BY OCT 31, AND FINAL REPORT BY DECEMBER 31