BENGALURU: The city will soon have its second government college on Wednesday with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah laying the foundation stone for Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College and Research Institute. This will be the 17th government medical college in the state. He also directed Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) to provide Metro connectivity to the college.
Speaking at the ceremony, Siddaramaiah said, “The tender process is over. The cost of the project is `200 crore. I have asked the medical education minister to take the MCI’s approval and have it functioning from 2018 itself. I will also speak to the BMRCL MD for Metro connectivity to both Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital and HSIS Gosha Hospital.”
While 10 medical colleges are functioning in the state, work on six others have begun and six others have been sanctioned. “Every district will have a medical college. We have sanctioned medical colleges for Yadgir, Haveri, Bagalkot, Chikkaballapur and Chikkamagaluru districts. Despite competing to study in government medical colleges, these students do not work in government hospitals after becoming doctors,” he said.
As many as 150 students will study in Bowring Medical College and Research Institute. “Karnataka students should get a majority of the seats,” he added. He also heaped praise on Shivajinagar MLA Roshan Baig. “He (Baig) insisted that the city have a second medical college as the population is more than a crore,” Siddaramaiah said.Baig announced that there will soon be a trauma care unit at Bowring Hospital which will be built at a cost of `14 crore.
Health Minister K R Ramesh Kumar, in the wake of the recent criticism by private medical establishments that he is against the profession, said, “I am not against the medical profession or against private doctors. I urge you not to value the words of those who say government hospitals are of inferior quality. Government hospitals are second to none. Some just feel like that because the services are free.”
Provisions in the proposed Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College
Medical College Main Administrative Block
Nursing College
Girls Hostel for Medical College
Girls Hostel for Nursing College
Nursing Quarters