Health education infrastructure receives impetus

Kolkata: The Health and Family Welfare Department of West Bengal, under the ministership of the Chief Minister herself, has brought about a lot of improvement in the state of health education in the state.

Combined MBBS and BDS seats have increased from 2,205 to 3,750, according to a party statement here today.

Postgraduate medical seats (MD course) have increased from 880 to 1,297.

Eighty students are pursuing higher specialisation courses for Diplomate of National Board (DNB) degree. Postdoctoral seats have increased to 147 from 107 in 2011.

In 2017, 93 tutor-demonstrators were appointed by the department, bringing the total number of such appointments since 2012 to 2,095.

As part of West Bengal Dental Education Service (WBDES), 72 clinical tutors have been recruited.

The Bengal Government has set up partnerships with the UK Government with regard to nursing skilling and re-skilling.

Two have been signed between WBIPH Knowledge Partnership between Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER), Kolkata and The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and between Health and Family Department and The Health Education England (HEE).

Another one, where Bengal is a beneficiary and HEE is a partner, involves the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry and United Kingdom-India Education Research Institute (UKIERI).

Rs 56.58 crore was allotted for financial year 2017-18 for the development of nursing education. During FY 2017-18, 52 students were admitted to M Sc (Nursing), 444 to B Sc (Nursing) and 2,175 to General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) course.

Five new GNM courses were started on September 22, 2017, with 60 seats in each, at the Jhargram and Basirhat District Hospitals, Ghatal and Jangipur Subdivisional Hospitals, and College of Medicine & Sagore Dutta Hospital.

The total number of GNM seats has been increased from 1,215 to 2,175.

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