The state government will set up five new medical colleges in Gujarat for Rs 2500 crore from the next academic year, adding 500 seats to the existing 5700 medical seats.
The move is aimed at making Gujarat a medical hub of India and improving the medical infrastructure.
The state has six government medical colleges and another eight medical colleges are run by the Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS). The state thus offers 5700 medical seats in all.
The new medical colleges will come up at Morbi, Porbandar, Godhra, Navsari and Rajpipla. In all the state will spend Rs 2500 crore to set up the new colleges.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for setting up medical colleges in every district to enable health services. From the next academic year, five new colleges will be set up in Morbi, Porbandar, Navsari, Godhra and Rajpipla under GMERS,” said Dr R Dixit, Additional Director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research (Medical Education) in Gandhinagar.
He said each medical college will have 100 seats and thus 500 new medical seats will be added to the existing ones.
“In addition to the new colleges, Civil Hospital (Asarwa), Gandhinagar Civil Hospital and Sola Civil Hospital will be turned into super-speciality hospitals which will further strengthen health services and medical education,” said Dr Dixit.
Due to the problems encountered during the Covid pandemic, a senior health official stated that the state is now responsible for the majority of medical education projects.
According to sources, five more medical colleges are planned for Botad, Khambhaliya, Veraval, Tapi, and Vyara, in addition to the five new colleges.