RANCHI: Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari on Thursday said the state is all set to get its first medical university, with land identified for the proposed institution in Ranchi's Brambe locality.
"We hope the foundation of the university will be laid by the end of January next year," Ansari said while distributing appointment letters to 66 health officials, including 33 medical officers and 33 specialist doctors.
He assured that manpower in the health sector would be increased and more recruitment would be carried out next year.
"Even after 25 years of Jharkhand's creation, there is no medical university in the state, which has led to a shortage of faculty and doctors. We have been working to improve the health sector system," the minister said.
He said four medical colleges would be established in the state in the coming years.
The minister added that he recently met Union Minister of State for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav and requested him for an ayurvedic college in the state.
The Union minister has asked us to send a proposal in this regard, Ansari said.
Later, talking to reporters, Ansari said a building of the panchayati raj institution at Brambe, which previously functioned as the Central University of Jharkhand, has been selected for temporary operations of the medical university.
"The matter has already be discussed with the governor, and the medical university is expected to commence functioning within the next 67 months," Ansari said.
The Brambe-based institution, which is spread over 67 acres, has 45 large and small buildings, including academic blocks, hostels and an auditorium, a health official said.