First medical college for Dalits takes off in Kerala

India’s first medical college for Dalits (backward castes) was inaugurated at Palghat in Kerala on Friday. The academic block built at a 50-acre site at Yakkara, on the outskirts of the town, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

The foundation stone for the boy’s hostel was laid by Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and girls by Health Minister V S Sivakumar on the occasion.

The 50,000-square feet academic block has a well-equipped lab and other learning facilities. The work on the administrative block is in progress. It is expected to be completed by the end of next year. The teaching hospital will be using the health care facilities, including 500 beds and 19 medical units, at the government district hospital. Dalits and poor will get free treatment in the medical college hospital as per the government norms.

The admission for the MBBS course for the 100 seats available in the medical college has already been completed. Classes will begin along with other medical college next month.

Of the total intake, 70 per cent of the seats are reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) while the scheduled tribes (ST) have two per cent of the seats earmarked for them. The remaining seats will be filled as per the reservation policy of the state where financially weak backward classes and the physically challenged have their own quotas.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy termed the medical college as a model for other states. It is the culmination of a rare unity of political parties and organizations.

The government had decided to set up the medical college exclusively for the Dalits after the private colleges refused to fill the quota for the Dalits. The new college will provide opportunities to less than 100 Dalits to pursue medicine every year.

The SCs constitute about 10 per cent and tribes 1 per cent of the state’s population of 33.4 million. The tribal population is concentrated in Palghat, Wayanad and Idukki districts.