Govt plans to start Jayadeva institute centre in Hubballi

 The state government plans to open a centre of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences & Research in Hubballi next year, said Medical Education Minister Dr Sharanprakash Patil.

He was speaking after inaugurating IACTSCON 2017, a conference of Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons (IACTS), he said that at present, there are centres of Jayadeva Institute in Mysuru and Kalaburagi.

Dr Patil said the government intends to have one centre in each divisional headquarters. He and cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Vivek Jawali, stressed that measures need to be taken to encourage doctors to pursue cardiothoracic surgery. Dr Patil said that seats in eminent colleges in Karnataka are vacant and about 60% to 70% of seats in the country are lying vacant.

“One has to be really passionate because it is a long struggle. After MBBS, you have to do your MS and then MCh (super speciality degree). Even after MCh, you have to work under a senior for 10 years before you start to earn. Students are dissuaded from taking up this option because of this,” Dr Jawali said. He said that if the concern is not addressed, the country will not have skilled cardiothoracic surgeons in the future.

Dr Jawali is a member of an expert committee constituted by the Medical Council of India (MCI) to look into issues with growth of superspecialities. A suggestion he has proposed is to allow direct entry to MCh after MBBS. Another proposal before the MCI is to formalise the fellowships that doctors often take up to get skills in niche areas such as paediatric cardiothoracic surgeries, he said.

Dr Patil said that the state government had appointed a committee to look into how superspeciality doctors could be attracted to work in government hospitals. The committee, which includes director of Jayadeva Institute Dr C N Manjunath, has submitted the report earlier this month and the government would deliberate on it, he said.

The minister said that the state government will request the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to increase the number of centres for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), from the present four centres.