Remarkable Feat in Jagan Government!

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has set the ball rolling for opening 17 more medical colleges in addition to the existing 11 in Andhra Pradesh. During the 2019 elections, he promised to take steps to ensure that every Parliamentary constituency in the state had one medical college. Accordingly, 17 more medical colleges will be opened in the state. Of these, the National Medical Council (NMC) had granted permission for admission to 750 MBBS seats in five colleges for this (2023-24) academic year.

The five colleges which would begin classes from this academic year include Machilipatnam, Eluru, Nandyal, Rajahmundry and Vizianagaram.

This is the first time in the state’s history that five medical colleges are being opened in the same academic year. The first medical college in Andhra Pradesh was started in 1923. From then upto 2019, which means in a span of 96 years, only 11 medical colleges were set up in the state.

It was only under former chief minister late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s rule, the health and education sectors witnessed momentum in growth.

Under the Nadu-Nedu scheme, the YCP government took up measures for strengthening the government medical sector spending Rs 16,000 crores. Braving the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, the construction of 17 medical colleges was taken up at a cost of Rs 8,480 crore. Of them, five colleges would begin functioning from this year. Apart from the750 seats, there are 2,185 seats in the existing 11 medical colleges.

Minister for medical and health department Vidadala Rajini said that the inauguration of the medical colleges was an evidence of the YCP’s commitment to an Aarogya Andhra Pradesh.