US based KPC group aims to invest more than Rs 300 crore over the next two years to set up an integrated healthcare facility at Jadavpur in Kolkata where it is setting up the state’s first private medical college and hospital.
The group, which is into biotechnology, tea and pisciculture, has already invested Rs 300 crore to set up the medical college and other healthcare facilities on a plot earlier occupied by a government-run tuberculosis hospital.
“We have received the permission from the ministry of health and family welfare, a few days back after the Medical Council of India (MCI) cleared it,” said Dr Kali Pradip Chaudhuri, the non-resident Indian who is chairman of the KPC Group. The MCI had cleared the college last month.
KPC will set up a centre of excellence of interdisciplinary healthcare education, associated dormitory and hospital facilities, an infectious-disease hospital, super-speciality interactive medical centre for special diseases and a medical mall over 48 acre.
It also has plans to set up a centre of congregate care including a nursing home for the senior citizens, Alzheimer care unit, long-term care unit and other associated living facilities.
The medical college, located in Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s constituency, was the first public private partnership project in the health sector after he took charge. Work started by December 2003.
“While we will conduct entrance examination, we would also take up a certain percentage of students from the joint entrance examination,” Chaudhuri said.
The admission for the first academic session is likely to start from September.
“We have secured necessary approvals from MCI to admit 150 students per year for the MBBS course,” said Chitta Ranjan Maity, chief advisor, who was earlier the state’s director of medical education.
“KPC Medical College has 350 beds now and will add 400 in the next few years,” he said.
The group also plans to introduce 31 interdisciplinary courses like bioengineering.