Tamil Nadu’s 23rd medical college opened in Karur

Palaniswami in his inaugural address said that the medical college at Karur was announced by the late Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa, in the Assembly under Section 110 of Tamil Nadu Assembly Rules, in August 2014, considering the fact that there were no medical colleges, including the private institutions in Karur district.

Subsequently, a Government Order (GO) to set up the medical college was passed in January 2015 and later the permission of the Medical Council of India (MCI) was obtained to set up the proposed facility at Sanapireddy village near Karur at a cost of Rs 269.58 crore.

The buildings for the medical college were constructed at a total estimate of Rs 115.71 crore and the equipment required for the institution were purchased at a cost of Rs 25.64 crore.

Employees-teaching, non-teaching, doctors, para medics (985 permanent staff and 57 outsourced workers)-required for the college functioning have been recruited.

A notable aspect of the Karur medical college inaugurated on Wednesday is that the institution would add another 150 medical seats in the State. As counselling for the Karur college has already been completed, the classes would commence soon, the Chief Minister said and added that so far, the AIADMK government has added 1,350 seats in all the medical colleges in the State from 2011.

The State Minister for Health and Family Welfare, C Vijayabaskar, later said that the policy of the State government was to establish one medical college every year in the State. With the inauguration of the Karur medical college, Tamil Nadu has proved yet again that it was the leader in terms of medical infrastructure in the country and also has the maximum number of MBBS seats than any other State.

To a question on the steps to increase number of seats in Karur medical college, he replied that according to Medical Council of India rules, the number of seats could be increased only 10 years after establishment of an institution. But, the initial allotment of 150 seats for a medical college is so far the highest in the State.

Chief Secretary K Shanmugam and the Secretary to the Health Department, Beela Rajesh, were also present at the inauguration.