Govt medical colleges in Kasaragod, Wayanad get NMC nod to admit MBBS students

Kasaragod: Health Minister Veena George announced that the National Medical Commission (NMC) has approved two new government medical colleges in the state- Wayanad and Kasaragod- each with 50 MBBS seats.

The approval comes just in time, as the second round of Kerala’s MBBS counselling is set to begin in September. The first round, completed in August, was for filling the All India Quota seats.

The approval was secured after ensuring infrastructure and academic facilities in line with NMC norms, claimed the minister.

It remains unclear how the government bypassed the NMC regulation that requires the teaching hospital to be located within 30 minutes of the medical college’s academic block. In Kasaragod, the General Hospital in town has been renamed as the Medical College Hospital, while the academic block at Ukkinadka in Badiadka panchayat is 27 km away, a journey that takes at least 50 minutes.

With this approval, a total of four government medical colleges have been cleared during the tenure of the present government. The minister said steps would be taken to complete procedures quickly so that students can be admitted in the current academic year itself. She added that, like other medical colleges, these two institutions would also be developed in phases.

Kasaragod Medical College 
The approval for the Kasaragod medical college comes nearly 12 years after its foundation stone was laid by the then Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in November 2013. 

Announcing the NMC's approval on Facebook on Tuesday, September 2, Health Minister Veena said the administrative sanction of ₹160 crore was given from KIIFB funds for the construction of Kasaragod Medical College. Work on the academic block has been completed, while the hospital block is "in progress". However, in reality, the project has been stalled for two years after the government defaulted on contractor payments. The matter is now in the High Court, and officials estimate it will take at least three to four years to finish the hospital block once work resumes.

A hostel building worth ₹29 crore is nearing completion, she said. But according to officials, work on the men’s hostel has not yet started, and the women's hostel and staff quarters still await electrical wiring, a process expected to take at least three months once work begins.

The minister said ₹8 crore has been allocated for the college’s water supply system. Speciality care, including neurology, has been introduced, with more departments to follow in phases. A nursing college with 60 seats has already started.

She claimed 273 posts had been created and appointments made. But officials told Onmanorama last month that appointments would only be made after securing NMC approval.

Outpatient services have begun in general medicine, paediatrics, pathology, neurology, nephrology, community medicine, dermatology, ENT, respiratory medicine, OMFS, and psychiatry. The district’s first neurology and nephrology OP units have been set up here. E-Sanjeevani telemedicine services have also been introduced, and a principal has been appointed. Radiology services have been approved.

Wayanad Medical College
At Wayanad, a multipurpose block worth ₹45 crore has been completed, and a nursing college with 60 seats has started. To launch the first MBBS batch, 140 posts- including 115 teaching and 25 non-teaching- have been created and filled. A modern mortuary complex worth ₹2.3 crore has been set up.

A cath lab worth ₹8.23 crore has been completed, and angioplasty procedures have begun. A cardiology department has been launched with new faculty. A power laundry worth ₹18 lakh has been installed. Labour room standardisation has been carried out under the Lakshya project, and a paediatric ICU is ready.

For the first time in the state, a sickle cell unit has been established here. The district’s first hip replacement surgery on a sickle cell patient was also performed at the hospital. The college has received certification under UNICEF’s Mother-Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and the National Health Mission’s MusQan programme, which promotes quality child-friendly services.

A skill lab worth ₹70 lakh has been set up. Knee replacement surgery has also been performed at the hospital. E-health and e-office systems have been implemented. An oxygen generator plant worth ₹20.61 lakh has been completed, and advanced dental treatments have been introduced.