Bhopal: Medical college to be opened in BMHRC, says Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh): Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said here on Sunday a medical college will be set up on Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC) premises.

The Union minister’s announcement came during his visit to BMHRC, a 350-bed super speciality hospital started in 1998 for treatment of Bhopal Gas Tragedy survivors. The minister held a series of meetings with BMHRC administration. Minister for medical education Vishvas Sarang, health minister Dr Prabhuram Choudhary, BMHRC director Dr Prabha Desikan and others were present in the meeting. Organisations working for the survivors have been demanding for a long time improvement in health facilities on the campus. However, every time BMHRC administration  assured for the improvement. The hospital is facing a shortage of senior doctors and specialists. During Covid they even accused the BMHRC administration of neglecting the Covid patients which, they alleged, caused the death of several patients.

Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information & Action (BGIA) said, “ With the opening of the medical college, we can hope for the best as the entire thing will be under the ministry of health. Right now ICMR is managing the BMHRC. But opening a full- fledged medical college is not possible overnight. It will take time.”

“I also raised the issue of merger of BMHRC with All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for immediate improvement but the Union minister rejected the proposal. So let us hope for improvement in BMHRC with the opening of a new medical college,” she added.