Jharkhand has cleared the upgrade of Jamtara Sadar Hospital into a 420-bed medical college with 100 MBBS seats under the public-private partnership model, Health Minister Irfan Ansari said on Thursday. The project is part of the state’s plan to expand medical education and hospital capacity through district-level institutions.
Ansari handed over the letter of intent to the private company shortlisted for the Jamtara project at a ceremony at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi. The proposed institution will combine medical education with hospital services, although the report did not specify the project’s construction timeline, capital cost or expected operational date.
The state government had announced in May that district hospitals in Khunti, Jamtara, Giridih and Dhanbad would be upgraded into medical colleges after the state cabinet approved the plan under the PPP model. The initiative is intended to increase the availability of medical education and healthcare services beyond the state’s existing major institutions.
The Jamtara announcement came as Ansari chaired the 66th governing body meeting of RIMS, where 16 development-related agendas were discussed. RIMS will receive a financial grant of Rs 466 crore for the expansion and renovation of its campus, buildings, hostels, residential facilities and other infrastructure, according to the minister.
The RIMS upgrade plan also includes the establishment of 10 new departments. Proposals will be sent to increase postgraduate seats from the current 176 to 256 and super-speciality seats from 11 to 150. These measures would expand the state’s medical training capacity at its largest teaching hospital, subject to the required approvals and implementation.
Critical-care and diagnostic capacity were also discussed at the meeting. Ansari said RIMS would need more than 200 ventilators to meet the requirements of critically ill patients and emergency services. The hospital is also expected to expand ultrasound, echocardiography and X-ray facilities and adopt modern medical technologies for patient care.
The state plans to begin recruitment of 106 nurses, 12 hospital managers and 100 Ayushman Mitras. Other decisions include developing a fully equipped burn ward and ensuring the availability of hearse vans. The minister also announced an increase in faculty numbers from 319 to 335, while non-teaching posts are to be reduced from 1,962 to 1,862.
The immediate next steps for the Jamtara medical college will depend on the shortlisted private company and the state’s PPP implementation process. The report did not provide details of the concession structure, land requirements, construction schedule or the proposed division of responsibilities between the government and private partner.
