CHENNAI: Bringing an end to the confusion over the fate of the under-construction Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) medical college in Coimbatore, the Corporation has agreed to hand it over to the State government under the conditions sought by the government.
The existing college at KK Nagar in the city, however, would continue to be run by the Corporation. After the Union Labour Ministry expressed inability to run the medical colleges citing various reasons, the State government had come forward to take over the operation of the two ESIC medical colleges in Tamil Nadu but with some riders.
Raising the issue with the Prime Minister, the State government had put forth conditions including that ESIC should bear the capital cost - the Coimbatore college is being set up at Rs 520 crore - and sharing of medical seats in the proportion of 58 per cent for State government and 15 per cent to All India Quota as per the current norms for government medical colleges.
Sources told Express that the Centre has agreed to the conditions laid down by Tamil Nadu, and the decision in this regard has been conveyed to the officials here.
“ESIC has conveyed the decision to hand over the medical college in Coimbatore to the State government, accepting all the conditions laid down by the State government in this regard. The cost of setting it up the hospital will be borne by them, while the State will bear only the recurring expenditure,” the official added.
A member of the Medical Council of India said the medical college in Coimbatore was not given approval by MCI this academic year. “Though the construction work is almost over, other infrastructure are to be completed. So it is not given approval for this year too,” the member added.
Construction work for this medical college hospital began in 2009.