The National Medical Commission’s Medical Assessment & Rating Board (MARB) has approved the building of a new medical college in Odisha, which is a significant development for medical education in the state. The DRIEMS Institute of Health Sciences and Hospital is located in Cuttack and is administered by Utkal University in Bhubaneswar. This permission gives prospective medical students optimism because the college would offer 100 MBBS seats, allowing them to pursue their goals of becoming doctors.

Approval Procedure

The MARB approved the creation of DRIEMS Institute of Health Sciences and Hospital after a thorough evaluation. The assessment report dated February 7, 2023, as well as the physical compliance verification assessments report dated May 22, 2023, were critical in the approval procedure. Furthermore, the college was required to make an undertaking recognising all of the terms and conditions outlined in the letter of intent dated May 24, 2023.

Compliance and Recognition

While the creation of the institution has been approved, it is critical that the authorities seek acknowledgement of the qualification under section 35(2) of the Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act. The National Medical Commission will seek recognition at the first batch’s final assessment. It is critical to follow the guidelines established by the National Medical Commission (NMC). Throughout the academic year, this requires maintaining adequate infrastructure, including physical and human resources, teaching faculty, and clinical content.

Misconduct’s Consequences

The National Medical Commission has issued clear instructions about false assertions or forged documents used to seek MARB approval. If such misbehavior is uncovered during surprise assessments or brought to the National Medical Commission’s attention, the institution will not be considered for degree recognition. This highlights the significance of honesty and compliance with rules in the medical education sector.

Requirements that must be met

The institute must create a biometric attendance system and a website to provide information openness and accessibility. The website should provide detailed information about the college, such as the courses offered, available teachers, and their experience over the previous five years. It should also include information about the students who have enrolled at the college and the university with which it is affiliated. Furthermore, hospital services, facilities, and equipment in each speciality should be provided, as well as outpatient (OP) and inpatient (IP) census statistics, including births and deaths from municipal or government records.

In a significant development, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has given its approval for the opening of a government medical college in the Kalahandi district of Odisha, with 100 MBBS seats. The NMC nod has paved the way for the medical college to start admitting students from the current academic year.

The Office of the Collector and District Magistrate, Kalahandi, shared the news on Twitter and said, “National Medical Commission has approved opening of Govt Medical College at Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi with 100 MBBS seats from the academic session 2023-24.”

The government of Odisha had earlier announced that it would set up four new medical colleges in Kalahandi, Talcher, Jajpur, and Kandhamal. Among these, the Government Medical College and Hospital, Kalahandi has been constituted at an investment of more than 200 crore rupees, with 60% of the total amount sanctioned by the Central Government. The state will bear the entire cost of recurring infrastructure.

According to sources, the construction work of the academic and administrative blocks, hostels, and staff quarters for the 100-seat medical college is almost complete, and the construction work of the academic building is ongoing and expected to be completed soon. The college has been set up on the outskirts of Bhawanipatna and has been built on 36 acres of land.

Earlier, a private party had attempted to run a medical college in Kalahandi district on government land, but the venture had failed. The State had first tried to set up a medical college in Kalahandi district around 20 years ago in 2004, but it was unsuccessful.

With the opening of GMC, Kalahandi, it has become the third medical college in the impoverished Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) region after the medical colleges in Koraput (2017) and Balangir (2018).

This development is expected to bring good news to the medical aspirants in Odisha, as it will provide them with more opportunities to pursue their dreams of becoming doctors and contribute to the healthcare sector of the state.

The Odisha University of Health Sciences is now operational. According to a notification released by the health and family welfare department on Sunday, the OUHS was founded on March 5, 2023 (Panchayati Raj and Lokaseva Divas), with its main office in Bhubaneswar. 

The long-awaited Odisha University of Health Sciences (OUHS) was founded on Sunday in Bhubaneswar, it began operating from a temporary structure at Sishu Bhawan Square.

Odisha University of Health Sciences is operational as of now.

According to a notification released by the health and family welfare department on Sunday, the OUHS was founded on March 5, 2023 (Panchayati Raj and Lokaseva Divas), with its main office in Bhubaneswar.

On Sunday, CM Naveen Patnaik gave his approval.

The new university will offer standardised, high-quality medical instruction in allopathic, homoeopathic, and Ayurvedic medicine as well as nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, laboratory technology, and all other paramedical disciplines in the state.

This university will be affiliated with more than 200 medical and paramedical schools in the state. The authorities are developing standard academic calendars and curricula for medical colleges affiliated with various universities that will form part of OUHS.

At least ten government medical colleges are already operating in Odisha, and the OUHS will soon be associated with a number of Ayurvedic, homoeopathic, nursing, and paramedical institutes that are currently part of various general universities.

Four additional government medical colleges will open in the next two to three years at Kalahandi, Jajpur, Kandhamal, and Talcher. There will also be private institutions that offer paramedic and health education. These institutes will be governed by this university.

MLAs from all political parties expressed concern in the state assembly in July of last year over the delay in the university’s commissioning.

In 2014, the affiliating health university’s founding was announced by Damodar Rout, the country’s then-minister of health.

In September 2021, more than a year ago, a measure creating the university was approved. The Odisha University of Health Sciences Act went into effect on August 15 of last year to address the state’s urgent need for high-quality medical education.

Former SCB Medical College and Hospital principal and dean Datteswar Hota is now an official on special duty for the university, managing its activities.

According to sources, the government has been determining the initial infrastructural requirements and labour requirements for the university.

A committee has been established to recommend a different location for the university’s permanent campus in the city, one that is around 25 acres large.