COVID-19: Andhra Pradesh to establish 14 new medical colleges across state

Amaravati: With the onset of COVID-19 last year, the fragile health care system and health infrastructure was exposed all over the country given the magnitude of patients' vis a vis hospitals and the healthcare system. Now every state is having a hard look in this aspect. Many states are going for course correction.

In Andhra Pradesh, to provide advanced Medi-Care and better healthcare services, CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will be laying the foundation stone for the establishment of 14 new medical colleges across the state here on Monday.

Ramping up medical infrastructure in the state, the government also proposed to add five new medical colleges to the existing 11 which were already announced. The construction work has already started in two medical colleges at Paderu (Visakhapatnam district) and Pulivendula (Kadapa district).  

With the establishment of new colleges, the number of medical seats is going to increase significantly, and more seats will be available for poor students by filling 70 per cent in convenor quota and 30 per cent in payment quota.

The 16 new medical colleges are being established at Paderu, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, Rajahmundry, Palakollu, Amalapuram, Eluru, Machilipatnam, Bapatla, Markapuram, Piduguralla, Madanapalli, Pulivendula, Penukonda, Adoni and Nandyal. 

The state government has issued orders for the construction of multi-speciality hospitals in tribal areas at Seethampeta, Parvathipuram, Rampachodavaram, Buttayigudem and Dornala, where an extent of 885 acres of land was procured for medical colleges and multi-speciality hospitals.

With regard to medical education, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Machilipatnam medical colleges will be having 150 seats each while the remaining colleges will have 100 admissions each taking the total number of seats to 2000 approximately. 

Also, works are under progress for Paderu, Piduguralla, Pulivendula medical colleges. Construction and tenders are being evaluated for Vizianagaram, Anakapalli,    Amalapuram, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Palakollu, Bapatla, Markapuram, Madanapalli, Penukonda,   Nandyal and Adoni.

All these medical colleges and teaching hospitals will be offering emergency, casualty and diagnostic services, with advanced Intensive Care Units ( ICUs ), and 10 states of art Modular Operation Theatres. The focus of the government is to develop a model welfare state with access to innovative and advanced technology.

Besides, "Nadu Nedu'' initiative is one such programme taken up by the State government to prioritise the modernisation of the health sector, which aims to revamp the existing health infrastructure and put in place a robust decentralized tertiary public healthcare infrastructure and facilities to provide accessible and affordable tertiary healthcare to the people of Andhra Pradesh.

Under this initiative, all the existing health facilities will be upgraded as per IPHS Standards for Sub-centers, PHCs, CHCs, AHs and NMC norms for Teaching Hospitals.