HYDERABAD: The State government is improving healthcare infrastructure to ensure quality care for all sections of society, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao asserted on Tuesday during the inauguration of eight new medical colleges across Telangana. The CM inaugurated the colleges virtually from Pragathi Bhavan.
Taking lessons from the situation that emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic, KCR said the government is making efforts to strengthen the sector. As many as 1,150 MBBS students who qualified NEET-2022 have been admitted to these medical colleges in Sangareddy, Mahabubabad, Mancherial, Jagtial, Wanaparthy, Kothagudem, Nagarkurnool, and Peddapalli districts, which were set up at an estimated cost of Rs 4,080 crore. With this, the number of MBBS seats in the State went up to 2,790 from 850 in 2014.
“It is a pleasure to note that MBBS seats have increased four times since the formation of Telangana,” the Chief Minister said. Also, postgraduate and super-specialty seats have increased from 531 to 1,180 and 70 to 152, respectively.
The CM highlighted that setting up medical colleges in remote tribal areas like Mahabubabad and Vanaparthi was a huge achievement for the State. “No one could have dreamt that government colleges and medical colleges would be established in such regions. The able leadership of the administration, led by the children who had worked as activists during the Telangana movement, made our dreams come true,” KCR said. The medical colleges would also provide a good opportunity for students from Dalit, tribal, schedule caste, and other minority students, he added.
The CM said it was the government’s responsibility to provide medical care to the poor. “The government does not hesitate to spend money on it. The government will also set up nursing colleges in all the districts along with medical colleges,” he said.
On the occasion, the CM congratulated Health Minister T Harish Rao for his efforts towards establishing the new medical colleges. “The government of Telangana has so far established medical colleges in 17 districts. Soon the construction of colleges in other districts will be taken up. The cabinet has already approved it,” he said.