Medical college hit by lack of hostels

Berhampur: MKCG Medical College and Hospital is facing the problem of accommodating its over 1,500 MBBS and postgraduate students in hostels. The problem has worsened after engineers of the works department declared two hostels, which can accommodate 150 each undergraduate girls and boys, unsafe.
The medical college authorities were forced to accommodate around 150 MBBS first-year boys in the special cabin block constructed to accommodate the patients. Similarly over 150 girl students were accommodated in a vacant hostel of the nursing college and women health visitors’ hostel.
Presently three girls’ and four boys hostels’ are functioning in the medical college.
Health and family welfare minister Niranjan Pujari told the assembly on Monday that the special cabin block was utilised as a hostel on the direction of the principal. Responding to a question from Berhampur MLA Bikram Kumar Panda, Pujari said steps are being taken by the government for construction of more hostels in the medical college.
Abani Kant Mishra, principal of the medical college, said they have written to the government for the construction of five hostels to accommodate around 600 students of both MBBS and PG courses.
“Proposals for construction of the hostels are in different stages, while the site selection on the campus has been finalised for some of them,” he said.
He said two old hostel buildings which have been declared unsafe will be demolished and two new hostels would be set up in their place.