30 medical colleges can be started in ESI hospitals Oscar Fernandes

Union Minister for Road Transport Oscar Fernandes said at least 30 medical colleges and 12 post graduation courses could be started in the government run Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) hospitals in the country, which would make it the largest medical network in the country.

With the government boosting good health infrastructure, the opportunity could be used to improve the infrastructure on medical education as well. He was speaking after inaugurating ‘Mid-term ISECON - 2013,’ a two-day conference on electrocardiology organised by the Department of Cardiology and Medicine of Father Muller Medical College in association with Indian Society of Electrocardiology at College premises on Saturday. Expressing concern over a wide variety of diseases that are plaguing people in the country, the Minister said most of the diseases are caused due to two contrast reasons. Either people suffer from malnutrition or from obesity, the two extremes bothering the society, he said.

Senior cardilogist Dr A V Shetty said the Electrocardiography (ECG) is still the quickest and cheapest form of technique used to diagnose heart diseases. The advanced techniques in diagnosing and treating heart diseases in the last few decades has considerably brought down the mortality rate. From 30 per cent mortality which existed a few decades ago to the present 5 per cent mortality now, cardiology has come a long way, the doctor said, adding that techniques would further improve so that no heart patient would die in future.