Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday urged authorities at the Directorate of Medical Education and Research to follow up regularly on proposals seeking autonomous status for B J Medical College in Pune and Grant Medical College in Mumbai.
Autonomous status is akin to the deemed university status, where the institution has the power to plan and conduct examinations, offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses and fix the curriculum and calendar events for the academic year.
Pawar was speaking at a virtual function organised on Wednesday on the occasion of the 75th foundation day of B J Medical College in Pune. He greeted organisers, faculty and students and said that BJMC and Sassoon General Hospital have been pillars of support for the people of Pune and surrounding areas.
“These institutions have an important legacy and in the last three centuries, they have served the people of not just Pune but across other regions,” he said.
Pawar highlighted the prominent role played by former deans in moulding young doctors and applauded the hard work done by doctors, nurses, paramedical and support staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.
On the occasion, Director of Medical Education and Research Dr Tatyarao Lahane raised the issue of granting autonomous status to the medical colleges at Pune and Mumbai, in addition to fast-tracking approvals on projects that envisaged setting up a cancer hospital in Pune. There are proposals for starting superspecialty courses, as well as a dental and physiotherapy college.
Responding to the appeal, Pawar urged the authorities to regulary follow up the proposals that have been submitted for autonomous status.
State Medical Education minister Amit Deshmukh also said that there were several expectations from the authorities and they were working together to resolve these issues. “We expect BJMC to be among the top 10 institutes in medical sciences,” he said.
Medical Education Secretary Saurabh Vijay also said that granting autonomous status to these colleges will help attain financial sustainability and attract excellence in faculty.
S Chockalingam, administrator at Sassoon General Hospital and Dr Murldihar Tambe, Dean of B J Medical College, also addressed the faculty members on the occasion.