Maha govt plans disease control institute

The Maharashtra government has proposed to set up a dedicated disease control and prevention

institute, medical education minister Amit Deshmukh said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters here, he also said the medical education department requires Rs 2,000 crore as against the

present budgetary allocation of Rs 1,200 crore. "I have requested for additional budgetary allocation

for my department," he said. The disease control and prevention institute will work

on research, immunisation, prevention and treatment of ailments, the minister said.

Deshmukh further said that the department plans to engage architects to upgrade infrastructure at medical

colleges, expand and refurbish them. Services in the medical education department will soon

come under essential services, he said. "Once that is done,50 per cent of posts which are

lying vacant can be filled," Deshmukh said. The government has also proposed to set up medical

colleges in districts that don't have such institutes, he said, adding that 60 per cent of the funding for this would be

provided by the Centre and40 per cent by the state. At present, the department has 18 medical colleges and

23 hospitals under it.