Kochi/ Thiruvananthapuram: The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to take over the Co-operative Medical College, Kochi, and constituted a high-level committee to finalize the service and salary conditions of the employees.
At the Cabinet briefing, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the medical college would function under the Directorate of Medical Education.
A high level committee comprising secretaries of health, personnel and administrative reforms, finance and co-operation departments and the Director of Medical Education has been constituted to examine matters relating to the service and salary of the staff.
The Chief Minister said the Government had received a report on the assets and liabilities of the medical college.
The report was subjected to a detailed scrutiny by a committee comprising principal secretaries of health and family welfare and finance, the District Collector of Ernakulam and Dr Junaid Rahaman, Medical Director of CMC.
On being asked about Pariyaram Medical College, the Chief Minister said the Government was yet to receive a final assessment report on its takeover.
While students and teachers of the college were jubilant over the takeover, several non-teaching staff on contract wages were apprehensive of their future.
Welcoming the decision, CMC Medical Director Dr Junaid Rehman said the public would get free treatment at the hospital after its takeover.
“The whole 100 MBBS seats too will become merit seats. The college will get better faculty. All Central Government schemes can be introduced and more funds can be expected. The NRHM and National Urban Health Mission schemes too can be implemented now. There will not be any restrictions on using MP/MLA funds,” he said.
Justice V.R.Krishna Iyer, Prof M.K.Sanu and former district collector K.R.Viswambharan, who were for a Government takeover, welcomed the decision.
They said that now the government will have to speed up the process of setting up a cancer centre on the new medical college campus.
The CMC was set up in 2000 February under the Co-operative Academy for Professional Medical College (CAPE). Initially spread in three rented campuses at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Indira Gandhi Co-operative Hospital and General Hospital, it moved to its own Kalamassery campus in 2004 August.
