Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) of the city which is celebrating its centenary, has the distinction of producing as many as 9,000 doctors in its 100 years of existence.

He was speaking after inaugurating the valedictory of the MMC&RI Centenary celebrations and  Foundation stone  laying for various developmental works at the MMC Library block in the Medical college premises at a programme organised by the Department of Medical Education and Engineering section of Health and Family welfare department here yesterday.

Pointing out that the Medical college established by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1924 at Bengaluru, moved to Mysuru in 1930, Siddaramaiah said that this was the first Medical college in the State and the Seventh one in the country.

“I feel that Government doctors are more knowledgeable than private doctors as they have vast and varied experience. Government Hospitals should challenge private Hospitals in terms of quality treatment and care. Most often, poor patients turn to Government Hospitals for health care and it is the responsibility of Government doctors to provide quality treatment”, he said.

Pointing out that Doctors are an asset of the society, Siddaramaiah said patients consider Doctors as their God (Vaidyo Narayana Harihi) .

Recalling that he too once dreamt of becoming a Doctor  as a student of his village had joined Mysore Medical college, Siddaramaiah said he used to visit the nearby MMC canteen when he was a student at Vidyavardhaka  school in the early sixties and used to savour Masala Dosa for just 19 paise then. However, his dreams of becoming a Doctor did not materialise, he said adding that, however, he was happy that he was part of the centenary celebrations of the Medical college.

Medical Education Minister Dr. Sharanprakash Patil in his address, said that there are at present 71 Medical colleges in the State including 24 Government colleges. Pointing out that it was the Siddaramaiah led Congress Government which took a decision to establish Government Medical college in all the districts in 2013, Patil asserted that Karnataka is leading in Medical education in the country. Stating that a 100-bed capacity Nephro-Urology unit is being set up in Mysuru, he said that the MBBS  seats in MMC&RI has been increased to 200 from the current 150, for which he credited the CM.

District In-charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa said after the period of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, Mysuru district has seen much development under the leadership of Siddaramaiah. The Siddaramaiah Government has allocated grants for all development plans of MMC&RI, K.R. Hospital and all other major Government Hospitals in the city and district, he added.

MLA Tanveer Sait said that Mysuru is growing fast as an educational hub and there was a need for a second Government Medical college for the city. He appealed Siddaramaiah, who has provided funds for many centenary Institutions, to consider this and take measures for sanctioning another Medical college for the city.

Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Bengaluru’s first Vice-Chancellor Dr. Kantha Jadhav, who is also an alumnus of MMC&RI, said that the Government should not use the fees money of RGUHS students and urged the Government to take back the order issued in this regard.

Siddaramaiah laid the Foundation stone for construction of a new OPD Block and a Human Milk (Breast Milk) bank Unit building  in K.R. Hospital premises. He also inaugurated CT Scanning machine and Skin Bank and released the Silver coin, Special Postal Cover and a Souvenir marking the MMC&RI centenary celebrations on the occasion.

Chamaraja MLA K. Harishgowda presided.

MLA Dr. Srinivas, MLC Dr. D. Thimmaiah, Guarantee Schemes implementation Authority Vice-Chairperson Dr. Pushpa Amarnath, Medical Education Department Principal Secretary Mohammad Mohsin, RGUHS Vice-Chancellor M.K.Ramesh, DIG (Southern Range) Dr.M.B. Boralingaiah, DC G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, MMC&RI Dean and Director Dr. K.R. Dakshayini and others were present.