4,000 medical PG seats added to streamline medical education: PM Narendra Modi

Surat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the government has streamlined the medical education field and created 4,000 new post-graduate seats in medical colleges which would resolve the problem of lack of doctors.

"In our country, in the field of health there has always been a complaint that we do not have enough doctors. This is because we do not have a robust system to produce doctors," Modi told a gathering which included medical students at the Surat airport after his arrival.

"If we go to the base of the problem, less number of students can get admission into post-graduate (courses in medical field) due to lack of seats, so only few become professors," he said.

"As there are less (number of) professors, it has become difficult to open new medical colleges. The entire system is entangled in these circles," Modi said.

"But we have streamlined it. We have increased 4,000 post graduate seats in one year. This is a big step in the country," he said.

"Every year 4,000 new post-graduate students (apart from the number of seats already existing) will pass out now who can also become professors. This means they can impart medical education to thousands of students across the country which will solve the issue of shortage of doctors," he said.

"With this we are confident that medical services will be available at village level as well," he said.

The Prime Minister also praised the work being done to make cities and villages free from open defecation.

"A big work is being done in the urban development field in the entire country. I would like to congratulate the Gujarat government for making the cities open defecation free," he said.

"Now, in the entire country 500 cities have been declared open defecation free. These cities created infrastructure to make it possible," he said, adding that in the villages also the programme is going on in full swing.

Modi is on a two-day visit to the state during which he will attend a number of events and meetings.

He will inaugurate a national convention of women sarpanch in Gandhinagar, address an industry meet of OPAL project of ONGC in Dahej and inaugurate a four-lane bridge over Narmada river in Bharuch.

The PM will also visit the Somnath temple and attend a meeting of the temple trust.