On Wednesday, chief minister of Puducherry, N Rangasamy said
that the centrally-sponsored premier health institute JIPMER would set up its
branch in Karaikal. Puducherry has earmarked 80 acres of land for it.
JIPMER stands for the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate
Medical Education and Research. According to Rangasamy, JIPMER would function
temporarily from the premises of an arts college. It would offer MBBS course in
its Karaikal branch with an initial strength of 50 students from 2016-17.
He further added that after construction of its branch, it will start functioning with strength of 100 students. He spoke this after the documents of the 80 acre site were handed over to JIPMER director Dr SC Parija in his presence.
It would offer the services in Karaikal similar to Puducherry in health care services.
Rangasamy added to his speech that now the ambitions of students will be fulfilled as the government would ensure that students from Karaikal had the facility to have medical education through JIPMER locally. Not only this, to accommodate the services, General Hospital in Karaikal would be upgraded and used as a centre for practical orientation of the students doing the medical course at JIPMER.
At primary and community health centres in Karaikal, specialist doctors from JIPMER would be deployed and also in the government hospital.
The chief minister concluded by saying that the
project outlay was being worked out.