Date:06/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/06/stories/2008040655410700.htm

National

A new model for resource mobilisation

Special Correspondent

To generate a big corpus for creating new research facilities, training the faculty

Brought substantial financial autonomy to the institution
Getting enquiries from other medical colleges

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government’s Sawai Man Singh Medical College here has launched a new model of resource mobilisation to generate a big corpus that is being utilised for creating new research facilities, training the faculty and developing the infrastructure. The college claims to have obtained a “role model status” in research and medical education.

The initiative – the first of its kind taken by a government medical college in the State – has brought substantial financial autonomy to the institution, enabling it to take up academic partnerships with international agencies, said Sawai Man Singh Medical College Principal and noted neurologist Ashok Panagariya here on Saturday.

The medical college, to which Sawai Man Singh Hospital is attached as the biggest government hospital in the State, has prescribed a fee for activities such as drug trial clearance by the Ethics Committee, verification of documents of students living abroad, training of doctors, holding of conferences and processing of research sanctioned by other institutions.

“The model, sanctioned by the State Government recently, has ensured a constant flow of funds to the college and helped it plan academic pursuits for several months to come,” said Dr. Panagariya. The college is getting enquiries from other medical colleges across the country about the modalities of fee structure and scope for revenue generation.

The medical college has entered into public-private partnerships to provide subsidised diagnostic facilities to patients and established state-of-the-art day care centres at Sawai Man Singh Hospital, Paediatric Hospital and Women’s Hospital. The latest proposal submitted to the State Government pertains to an advanced linear accelerator to be established by the year-end.

Dr. Panagariya – recipient of the prestigious B. C. Roy Award in 2004 – said the process had been started for establishment of laboratories on stem cell research with umbilical cord banking, haemato-immunology studies and basic genetics, besides value addition by in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), women’s wellness centre and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) bio-technology laboratory.

The medical college has also established a comprehensive holistic cancer care service area, tumour board and a medico-surgical oncology wing with bone marrow transplant unit for treatment of the increasing number of cancer patients.