Employees’ State Insurance Corporation is going to submit the proposal of setting up two postgraduate institutes of medical science and research at its Manicktala and Joka hospital premises to the Union ministry of health by June 30.
The institutes will be affiliated to the West Bengal University of Health Sciences. The West Bengal government has approved the proposal, said BK Sahu, additional commissioner and regional director of the corporation.
The institutes would offer both degree and diploma courses in pathology, biochemistry, general surgery, and child health among others.
At Manicktala, the degree course will have 36 seats and the diploma eight. At Joka, there will be 24 degree course seats along with six diploma seats.
Faculty and student fees haven’t yet been finalised, Sahu told FE. The courses will start from April 2009 if the ministry of health approves the proposal, he said.
ESIC plans to set up similar medical institutes in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, subject to Union ministry clearance, Sahu said.
At present, there are 50 ESI hospitals in the country, out of which 13 are in West Bengal.