Losing out on medical aid in NCR colleges?

PRIVATE PLAYERS

The education industry is booming in NCR with innumerable private colleges being set up every year.

The campuses are gigantic with almost every facility in some but with the rest, there is only a fancy name. In the absence of adequate seats in government colleges, students take admission in these private universities and set foot into an uncertain future.

Located in deserted areas, at times these colleges or universities are not even well connected to basic amenities like medical services with the students suffering as a result.

In a recent incident, hundreds of students of Dronacharya Engineering College in Gurgaon, went on rampage and set the institute bus on fire when Kshitija Babbar, a II year student died on way to the hospital, following a cardiac arrest. Her classmates and friends rebuked college authorities for not taking prompt action.

Metrolife finds out how well equipped are the campuses of private universities or colleges to deal with medical emergencies.

There are some institutions who have a full-fledged hospital within the campus. Take for instance, Sharda University in Greater Noida, which has a 750 bed hospital managed by School of Medical Sciences (SMS).

The hospital provides 25 per cent relaxation on fees to university students for treating their medical problems. Dr Pratibha Gupta, Dean, SMS says, “The medical students are treated free of cost whereas the rest are given 25 per cent relaxation. Our hospital facilities are often availed by students from colleges such as Accurate, RIG Institute and even ITS Dental Colleges who fall within the vicinity of our campus.”

A similar case can be seen at Amity University which has its campus in Noida and Manesar. There is round-the-clock availability of doctors including three nurses. The hospital is functional throughout the week and includes the facility of oxygen cylinders and nebulizers.

The university also assures tie-ups with all major hospitals in the area such as Kailash, Fortis and provision of fully equipped ambulances within the campus. Savita Mehta, VP Communications, Amity says, “Since the last couple of years, we have been asking students in the admission form, if they suffer from any medical ailment, so that we can remain prepared for any emergency. In any such case, first the student is brought to the medical unit and if required he/she is taken to the hospital which is within three kilometers of our campus.”

The facilities here may sound quite satisfactory, but the situation is not the same in other colleges.

Many don’t have even basic first-aid facilities even though they are charging fees in five figures from students. A few who responded to Metrolife’s queries like Guru Gram Business School and Institute of Business Management and Research, both located in Gurgaon, say that they have only first-aid provisions within their campus but otherwise depend on the tie-ups with hospitals which are a couple of kilometers away from campus.

But the question remains that if these colleges or universities do not have proper medical facilities, then isn’t it the government’s responsibility to keep a check on them and avoid untoward circumstances?