E-Paper
In form of new hostel, Chandigarh’s GMCH to get just what the doctor ordered
A ₹75-cr hostel complex with a capacity of 574 students will be set up on the GMCH south campus’s in Sector 48, Chandigarh to meet the ever-growing demand
Looking to accommodate more graduate and postgraduate students at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, premises, the UT administration approved the proposal to construct a new hostel at the institute’s south campus in Sector 48.
To be accommodated at an estimated cost of ₹75 crore, the hostel will have the capacity of 574 students studying various courses in health sciences, especially those in the MBBS course.
At present, GMCH-32 has a capacity to accommodate only 447 students and is struggling to provide accommodation to the students of MBBS as well as post graduate courses. Due to insufficient facilities, the institute prefers to allot rooms to outstation students.
“GMCH-32 has a total of eight hostels at present with a total of 447 rooms of which 173 are single occupancy rooms. These hostels are meant to accommodate students of graduation, post graduation and nursing course, as well as the senior resident doctors. However in this limited space, as many as 558 students are residing at present. Due to limited rooms, the tricity students are mostly denied access to hostels,” UT health secretary Yashpal Garg said, adding that as per the National Medical Commission (NMC) norms, the institute must have hostels with capacity of 445 for every 750 students.
“Besides this, we are presently not giving hostel accommodation to senior resident doctors, which we are supposed to provide. Also, over 50% of the students pursuing post graduation courses are staying in their personal accommodation, outside the college campus,” Garg added.
Notably, GMCH-32 is the only college offering MBBS in the city. Every year, 150 students undertake MBBS courses at the campus, whereas the institute has 148 seats in MD/MS courses, 60 seats in nursing courses and seven seats in DM courses. With 600 students pursuing just the MBBS course at one time (4 year course with 150 student batch in each year), the institute lacks space for their accommodation.
Divulging details about the proposed plan, Garg said, “UT adviser Dharampal approved the project of constructing a new hostel at south campus in Sector 48, where out-patient department (OPD) and indoor patient services are presently being run.”
“As per the building plans, the hostel will have a total capacity to accommodate 574 students. The building will have five floors and rooms of both single as well as triple occupancy. Keeping in view of the possibilities in expanding the facilities in future, the triple occupancy rooms are being constructed but presently, only two students will be accommodated in one room. The facility will be especially for the MBBS students,” he added.
The UT administration will soon start the construction and tendering process. The hostel rooms being vacated by MBBS students shifting to the new facility will be used to accommodate senior resident doctors and postgraduate students.
