Hyderabad: Reaching a significant milestone in medical education, Telangana opened nine new medical colleges on Friday.
Calling it a white coat revolution, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao virtually inaugurated the new medical colleges from his official residence Pragathi Bhavan.
The state government claims that no other state in the country has started as many medical colleges in a single year, with its own funds, as Telangana has done.
These colleges have come up Kamareddy, Karimnagar, Khammam, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Nirmal, Rajanna Sircilla, Vikarabad and Jangaon
KCR said that these new colleges, combined with upgraded district hospitals, will enhance medical education and tertiary healthcare in the districts.
The number of government medical colleges has now gone up to 26. Eight more medical colleges will become operational in the academic year 2024-2025.
This will become Telangana first Indian state to have a government medical college in each of its districts.
KCR said that it is a matter of pride that Telangana has the highest number of medical seats in India – 22 per lakh population.
Listing out various measures taken during the last nine years to improve healthcare facilities in the state and the results they yielded, KCR said health and medical education is another area where Telangana has emerged as a role model for the entire state.
“Once eight new government medical colleges become operational next year, the government and private medical colleges in Telangana together will produce 10,000 new doctors every year,” he said.
He pointed out that at the time of formation of Telangana state, the number of medical seats was 2,850. The same has now gone up to 8,515.
“When the state was being formed, some people expressed doubts on whether we can govern efficiently. In the last nine years, we have shown what we are capable of. The state has achieved all-round development. We have achieved a remarkable progress in agriculture, irrigation, drinking water, power, health, education and other sectors.”
KCR pointed out that in 2014 Telangana had only 15,000 beds in government hospitals and that too without adequate medical infrastructure. Today the number has gone up to 34,000 and with completion of six more hospitals currently under construction, this number will reach 50,000.
The minister said during the current academic year, Telangana accounted for 43 per cent of MBBS seats added in the entire country.
In 2014, Telangana had just five colleges – two in Hyderabad and one each in Warangal, Nizamabad and Adilabad. In 2016-17, two new colleges were set up in Mahaboobnagar and Siddipet. Two new colleges at Nalgonda and Suryapet came up in 2017-18.
Eight new colleges came up in 2022-23. They are Mancherial, Ramagundam, Jagtial, Wanaparthy, Nagarkurnool, Mahaboobabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem and Sangareddy.
During the next academic year 2024-25, eight new colleges will come up at Jogulamba Gadwal, Narayanpet, Mulugu, Warangal-Narsampet, Medak, Yadadri Bhongir, Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri
–IANS