Mangaluru: It is left to the government to approve the proposal submitted by Kasturba Medical College to take over Government Wenlock Hospital on a 30-year lease. All these years since the 1950’s KMC has been providing services of specialists and diagnostic facilities to the hospital, and it has been using the hospital for providing clinical experience to its students. The proposal was submitted by KMC to the govt nearly 15 days ago.
It is learnt that the proposal comes at a time when the government has proposed to start a government medical college in the city by attaching the Wenlock Hospital to it. The government has made an arrangement with JJM Medical College, Davangere for using the government hospital in Davangere for providing clinical experience to its students.
Presently KMC pays nearly Rs. 2 crore a as clinical fee to the Wenlock Hospital, and also bears the salaries of the housekeeping staff and the security staff. The KMC also runs its own hospital near Ambedkar Circle and at Attavar. It was in June 2014 that Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader proposed to set up a government medical college in the city. The Minister had said the KMC, which was associated with the Wenlock Hospital for long, should be given time to move out of the premises.
Sources reveal that KMC had given a detailed note to the Arogya Raksha Samiti of the Wenlock Hospital headed by Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim, and after that Samiti would have to deliberate on the matter and place it before the department headed by Minister Khader. Speaking to media, Khader said that the government would look at imposing conditions such as asking the KMC to provide treatment facilities at the Wenlock hospital and manage it as per the standards prescribed by the Medical Council of India.