By IANS,
New Delhi: With hospitals facing a shortage of paramedical staff, the union cabinet Thursday approved a proposal to establish new institutes for paramedical sciences along with a one-time grant to state medical colleges for running paramedical courses.
With a total outlay of Rs.1,156.43 crore, the proposal aims at filling the gap between the demand and supply of paramedical staff in the country.
A one-time grant of Rs.352 crore will be given to state government medical colleges for enhancing the intake capacity for paramedical students.
One national and eight regional institutes of paramedical sciences will be established across the country along with redevelopment of the existing regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences in Aizawl.
For establishing the national paramedics institute the grant will be Rs.108.29 crore and for regional institutes Rs.696.14 crore will be needed.
The central government will bear 85 percent of the total expenditure, while the rest 15 percent will come from states.
Once fully operationalized, 14,480 more students will be able to undergo para-medical training every year.
“The initiative will augment the supply of skilled paramedical manpower and promote quality of paramedical training through standardisation of such courses across the country,” an official statement said.