Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao virtually inaugurated nine new government medical colleges across the state in a ceremony held at Pragathi Bhavan on Friday, 15 September.
These newly inaugurated government medical colleges are in the districts of Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Khammam, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Nirmal, Rajanna Sircilla, Vikarabad, and Jangaon.
The inauguration event witnessed the presence of state Health Minister T Harish Rao, Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari and several MLAs, MLCs, MPs, and officials from the Health Department.
Speaking on the occasion, KCR emphasised the historic significance of this development in the Indian medical sector.
Related: Telangana to open nine medical colleges — with basic infrastructure
Number of medical colleges becomes 26
With this, the total number of government medical colleges in the state increased to 26 from five in 2014, he said.
Rao stated that the number of medical seats increased from 2,850 in 2014 to 8,516 at present.
“Starting next year, Telangana will be contributing 10,000 doctors annually. Just as white blood cells safeguard the body’s immunity, these white-coated doctors from Telangana will serve the nation’s health needs,” said KCR during the inauguration.
Another eight new government medical colleges would be opened next year, he said.
He extended his greetings to the students who secured seats in the newly inaugurated medical colleges and highlighted that 85 percent of the seats were allocated to local candidates. These medical colleges collectively offer a total of 900 MBBS seats.
ప్రజా ఆరోగ్యాన్ని పరిరక్షిస్తూ వైద్యాన్ని పేదలకు అతి చేరువలోకి తెస్తూ, తెలంగాణ రాష్ట్రం ప్రతియేటా పదివేల మంది వైద్యులను తయారుచేసే స్థాయికి చేరుకుని భారతదేశ వైద్య రంగ చరిత్రలోనే విప్లవాన్ని సృష్టిస్తున్నదనీ, దేశానికే ఆదర్శంగా రాష్ట్ర వైద్యరంగం పురోగమించడం తెలంగాణకు గర్వకారణమని… pic.twitter.com/CWyIX2HSed
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) September 15, 2023
Also Read: Guv and govt at loggerheads in Telangana over medical colleges
Marks history
Harish Rao claimed that the inauguration of nine new government medical colleges in a single day was the first in the history of medical education in the country.
He added that Telangana secured 43 percent of the government-sector MBBS seats allocated nationwide this year, setting an impressive record. In contrast, the remaining states and Union Territories in the country have collectively allocated only 57 percent of these seats.
“Once upon a time, there was a saying that ‘Bengal thinks, the nation acts’. CM KCR is credited with redefining this saying. If CM KCR decides to establish a government medical college in every district, it’s likely that the entire country will follow the same path,” he said.
Recently, Ministers KT Rama Rao and Harish Rao instructed public representatives from the respective districts to engage with the community and explain the benefits of these new medical colleges.
Also Read: Telangana government approves eight new medical colleges
The 900 seats in a year
In April, the National Medical Council (NMC) approved 100 MBBS seats each to seven medical colleges. In the subsequent months, two more medical colleges obtained its permission.
These approvals came after the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the NMC conducted physical verification assessments in April.
They assessed various aspects of the medical colleges, including the availability of infrastructure facilities, such as laboratories, libraries, hostels, hospitals, qualified faculty with relevant experience, publications, residents, tutors, nursing staff, and paramedical staff.
The assessment aimed to determine the readiness of government medical colleges to commence the MBBS course for the academic year 2023-2024. Based on the findings, the NMC decided to grant permission to these colleges.
Since the assessment of a few medical colleges, including the one in Kamareddy district, was not satisfactory, the secretary of the Telangana Government Health and Family Welfare Department provided an undertaking that necessary facilities would be in place within three months.
According to the NMC, the medical colleges were found to be equipped with the necessary infrastructure requirements, and permission was granted for the current batch of students to continue their studies until they appear for their final year examinations.
The decision also allowed the government the time to meet additional requirements for the next batch of students.
