ESI Kanpur hosp to become med college

Lucknow: The UP cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to transfer the state-run Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Hospital at Pandu Nagar in Kanpur to the Centre for development into a medical college and super-speciality hospital, while taking over the ESIC-run hospital at Jajmau in exchange.The move aimed at strengthening tertiary healthcare facilities available to insured workers and their families while expanding medical education infrastructure in the state.Under the approved plan, the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) will establish a medical college on the Pandu Nagar campus at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore. The institution will initially offer 50 MBBS seats, with the intake proposed to be increased to 100 seats in subsequent years.As per the proposal, 50% of the MBBS seats will be reserved for children of ESI beneficiaries across the country. The remaining seats will be shared between the state and central govts, with Uttar Pradesh receiving 35% and the Centre 15%.The project will also include a 300-bed teaching hospital. Govt estimates indicate that the institution could generate around 660 jobs for doctors, administrative officers, nursing and paramedical staff, besides 203 outsourced positions in security and housekeeping services.Officials said the Kanpur institution would become ESIC’s third medical college in Uttar Pradesh, after those in Varanasi and Greater Noida, expanding access to specialised healthcare and medical education in the state.