Hyderabad, Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the Employees State Insurance Corporation Medical College with the Nizam's Institute of Medical Science to provide super-speciality medicare to the poor.

Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, said that, "the ESIC will provide accommodation to the specialists for a one-year period so that they can be on call 24/7".

According to Telangana Health Minister K. Laxma Reddy, "NIMS would provide super-specialists in the disciplines of neurosurgery, neurology, cardiology and cardiac surgery, nephrology, urology, radiology and anaesthesiology."

The new college will have an intake of 100 students every year.

ESIC Medical College Dean Srinivas and NIMS Director K. Manohar signed MoU on Monday at the ESIC Regional Office in the presence of the ministers.

Mr. Dattatreya said "this was first-of-its-kind move in the country and it was heartening to note that infrastructure that costs Rs. 1,600 crore at the Sanathnagar complex would now be put to use after remaining idle for almost three years."

"Thousands of poor patients would now get access to super-speciality medicare that they could never dream of. The State was willing to work with the Centre in optimising resources and ensuring the poor got the best of healthcare, the kind that was being given by corporate hospitals", said Mr. Reddy.

"Central assistance to the tune of about Rs. 1,000 crore would reach Telangana this financial year as Centre's share of 60 per cent in several medical projects and institutions. Of this the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Warangal, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Adilabad and State Cancer Centre in Hyderabad would get Rs. 150 crore each for expanding infrastructure. And other allocations included Rs. 278 crore especially for reproductive child health, Rs. 434 crore for diabetic and elderly persons across the State," added, Mr. Dattatreya.