Centre OKs 160 more MBBS seats in Bihar medical colleges
2 min readPATNA: The state medical colleges will have 160 more seats in 2018-2019 session, Union minister of state for health and family welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey said after a meeting in Delhi on Monday. Senior health department of Bihar, including its principal secretary Sanjay Kumar, attended the meeting.
Patna Medical College (PMC), Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (Bhagalpur) and Shri Krishna Medical College (Muzaffarpur) each will have 50 more seats while Darbhanga Medical College (DMCH) has been allotted 10 additional seats. The Centre has also approved MCH course at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS).
Officials said Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences at Pawapuri would not get any more seat as it still has shortage of staff as per the Medical Council of India (MCI) guidelines.
“The Centre will also set up a 150-bed cancer institute at Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) at an estimated cost of Rs150 crore. Around 40 acre land for that has been identified. The detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared and PM Narendra Modi will lay its foundation stone within the next three months,” Choubey said in his statement.
The Centre had decided in 2016 to set up medical colleges in Chhapra, Purnia and Samastipur. “Efforts are being made to identify land in Samastipur. Foundation stone of the medical colleges in Chhapra and Purnia will be laid in June,” he added.
Work is also underway to open super speciality hospitals in Bhagalpur and Gaya. The foundation stone of both the hospitals would be laid in June. The central government has approved funds to the tune of Rs250 crore for that purpose. The tender process for the same is near completion. The super speciality hospitals in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga would most likely be completed by October this year.
The state government has also been asked to forward a proposal to the Union health ministry for the setting up of medical colleges in five districts, including Buxar. Sources said the health ministry has asked the state to take it up on priority basis. The central government has also asked the state to forward a proposal identifying the place to set up a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bihar.
Courtesy: TNN
