Himachal CM inaugurates Radhakrishnan Medical College

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday inaugurated Dr Radhakrishnan Government Medical College here, which will start operating from this academic year. Union Health Minister J.P Nadda was also present.

Thakur also performed online foundation of its upcoming college campus with a facility of 250-bed hospital in Thai village, some eight km from here.

The college building would come up with an outlay of Rs 206 crore, while Rs 1.91 crore would be spent on its residential block.

The medical college will admit the first batch of 100 students from this academic year and it will operate from the Regional Hospital here, a government spokesperson told IANS.

Later, the college would be shifted to the upcoming campus.

Now, six medical colleges have become functional in the state with each college having admission capacity of 100 students.

A state cabinet meeting, chaired by the Chief Minister, earlier this week had decided to restrict the quota of NRI seats in order to provide more merit-based admissions in this college.

Addressing a public meeting on Saturday, Thakur said it was a historical day for Hamirpur district as the much-awaited medical college had finally been inaugurated and would facilitate people of adjoining districts to get the best health services.

He said the state government would always remain indebted to the Union government for their liberal financial assistance and fulfilling all demands of this hill state.

He said with six medical colleges in government sector and one in private sector, around 750 doctors would be available to the state in the coming years which would help in meeting the demand of specialists and medical officers in the state.

Nadda, who belongs to this state, said the Union government was already ready for expansion of health services in the state.

"Chamba, Hamirpur and Nahan (towns) have been identified in the state for the establishment of new medical colleges and I am happy to share that Himachal Pradesh is among the first states to have all approved medical colleges functional.

"A sum of Rs 322.51 crore has been released by the central government for establishment of these three medical colleges and further funds to the tune of Rs 163 crore are being released in the current fiscal," he said.

Nadda said at present there are 750 MBBS seats in the state.

With the establishment of these three new medical colleges, the intake capacity of the state has increased by 300 seats, he said.

He said dialysis facility have been made available in the eight districts of the state and now kidney patients need not to go to PGI in Chandigarh or to other places for dialysis.

Nadda assured that the demand of setting up a mother and child health centre and a nursing hospital in this nedical college complex would be considered in the near future.

Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the Modi government was always considerate to the demands of the state and in the near future the state would get many more major projects.

--IANS

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